THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


James  Lous  Petigru 
1845 

BUST    BY    CLARKE    MILLS 

"^«  article  of  ornament  in  thejitrniture  of  Badwell" 


{Frontispiece) 


LIFE,   LETTERS   AND 
SPEECHES 


OF 


JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 


THE   UNION   MAN   OF 
SOUTH    CAROLINA 


BY 


JAMES  PETIGRU  CARSON,  E.  M. 


WITH    AN    INTRODUCTION 
BY 

GAILLARD  HUNT,  Litt.D.,  LL.D. 


For  Sale   by 

VV.  H.  LOWDERMILK  &  CO. 

Washington,  D.  C. 

1920 


Copyright,  1920 

by 

James  Petigru  Carson 


Press  of 

H.  L.  &  J.  B.  McQueen,  Inc. 

Washington,  D.  C. 


h 
273 

T4M-HA14 


THIS     BOOK 

PREPARED    AT    THE    DESIRE 

OF 

CAROLINE     CARSON 

PETIGRU'S    DAUGHTER 

IS     DEDICATED 

TO    HER    MEMORY 


1382631 


INTRODUCTION 


"I  remember  your  saying  that  South  Carolina  was  the 
romantic  and  picturesque  element  in  our  great  Confederacy," 
wrote  Miss  Sally  S.  Hampton  from  "The  Woodlands"  to  her 
friend  Mr.  Ruggles,  on  January  25,  1861.* 

The  political  and  social  structure  of  the  State  was  not  only 
picturesque  but  singular.  Here  was  a  commonwealth  which 
came  into  existence  before  the  Revolution,  rose  to  its  height  in 
the  first  quarter  of  the  next  century,  continued  to  live  with 
varying  degrees  of  vigor  for  two  generations  longer  and  then 
died  a  violent  death.  It  all  happened  in  a  period  of  about  one 
hundred  years — from  1761,  say,  to  1861.  The  date  of  the  begin- 
ning is  indefinite,  but  the  date  of  the  end  is  fixed.  No  other 
American  State  presents  a  study  so  compact.  Here  was  a  State 
in  undisputed  control  of  a  recognized  upper  class;  here  was  a 
republic  in  which  a  small  group  of  superior  men  were  the  gov- 
ernors; here  was  a  society  dominated  by  aristocrats.  The 
elements  which  made  South  Carolina  existed  in  other  States, 
notably  in  Virginia,  North  Carolina  and  Georgia,  but  they  did 
not  pervade  those  States  as  completely  as  they  pervaded  South 
Carolina.  James  Henry  Hammond,  Governor  and  Senator,  an 
able  man  of  unusual  mental  frankness,  in  the  confidence  of  his 
private  diary  wrote  this  on  December  7,  1850: 

The  government  of  South  Carolina  is  that  of  an  aristocracy. 
When  a  Colony,  many  families  arose  in  the  Low  Country  who 
became  very  rich  and  were  highly  educated.  They  were  real 
noblemen  and  ruled  the  Colony  and  the  State — the  latter  entirely 
until  about  thirty  years  ago,  and  to  a  very  great  extent  to  the 
present  moment. 

When  Hammond  spoke  of  the  education  of  his  sons,  August 
25,  1858,  he  said:  "I  have  worked  like  ten  overseers  and  made 
every  sacrifice  to  make  my  sons  well  educated  and  wellbred, 
independent  South  Carolina  country  sentle7nen,  the  nearest  to 
noblemen  of  any  possible  class  in  America."! 

*Library  of  Congress  MSS.      "Personal  Miscellany." 

fTo  his  brother  M.  C.  M.  Hammond.     Library  of  Congress  MSS.      "Ham- 
mond Papers." 


VI  Introduction 

The  men  who  made  the  State  being  countrymen  with  large 
holdings  of  land,  led  isolated  lives  and  encountered  little 
opposition  in  their  inclinations.  Consequently,  they  developed 
unrestrainedly  and  naturally  and  their  faults  and  virtues  were 
accentuated.  They  had  many  primitive  characteristics.  Open- 
hearted,  open-handed,  generous,  loyal,  brave  and  affectionate, 
they  were,  at  the  same  time,  impulsive,  improvident,  intolerant, 
quick-tempered  and  passionate.  They  were  genuine  men,  with- 
out cant,  pretense  or  affectation.  Their  superior  position  was 
so  undisputed  that  no  assumption  on  their  part  was  required  to 
support  it. 

Broad-minded  men  liked  them,  even  if  they  did  not  approve 
of  them,  and  timid  men,  who  hesitated  to  form  convictions  or  to 
express  them,  feared  these  self-centered  masters  who  asserted 
their  beliefs  with  boldness  and  absolute  conviction  that  they 
were  right.  Their  strength  of  conviction  on  political  questions 
came  partly  from  the  fact  that  the  chief  political  issues  of  their 
day  were  questions  which  affected  each  one  of  them  in  his  home 
and  family  life.  Thus  they  took  the  lead  naturally  in  the  move- 
ment to  destroy  a  nation  which,  it  was  plain,  was  making  up  its 
mind  to  destroy  them.  More  than  any  other  Americans  they 
suffered  from  the  failure  to  establish  a  new  nation  based  upon 
their  social  system,  for  no  other  State  was  founded  so  absolutely 
upon  that  system. 

Their  power  in  the  nation  had  been  out  of  proportion  to  the 
size  and  commercial  importance  of  the  State.  It  was  not  a  large 
State;  it  was  not  populous;  many  other  States  surpassed  it  in 
wealth;  yet  from  the  beginning  of  the  Union  it  wielded  as  much 
influence  alone  as  any  group  of  States  exercised  together.  It 
commanded  the  Constitutional  Convention  to  guarantee  slave 
property  and  the  Convention  obeyed;  it  ordered  a  halt  in  the 
progress  of  the  protective  tariff  system  and  Congress  changed  the 
tariff  law;  it  ordered  the  other  Southern  States  to  form  a 
separate  nation  and  they  tried  to  form  it.  Just  before  the  Civil 
War,  Jeremiah  S.  Black,  Secretary  of  State,  had  a  conversation 
with  William  Henry  Trescot,  his  Assistant  Secretary,  on  the 
subject  of  fortifying  Forts  Moultrie  and  Sumter.  "Then  the 
Judge  broke  out,"  says  Trescot,  "into  an  eulogy  of  South 
Carolina.  'There,'  said  he,  'a  little  State  no  bigger  than  the 
palm  of  my  hand,  has  broken  up  this  mighty  Empire.     Like 


James  Louis  Petigru  vii 

Athens,  you  control  Greece.  You  have  made  and  you  will 
control  this  revolution  by  your  indomitable  spirit.  Up  to  this 
time  you  have  played  your  part  with  great  wisdom — unequalled 
— but  now  you  are  going  wrong.'"* 

A  State  which  was  so  powerful  must  have  been  led  by  able  men. 
It  is  true  that,  as  a  consequence  of  its  self-sufficiency,  some  of 
the  strongest  intellects  were  satisfied  to  expend  themselves 
within  the  boundaries  of  the  State  and  were  not  generally  known 
elsewhere;  but  any  one  who  went  to  South  Carolina  soon  became 
aware  of  the  fact  that  he  was  breathing  an  intellectual  atmos- 
phere, and  that  to  be  the  equal  of  the  men  whom  he  met  he  must 
be  well  educated  and  well  informed,  and  must  have  his  mental 
faculties  in  good  training. 

"The  South  don't  care  a  d — n  for  Literature  or  Art,"  wrote 
William  Gilmore  Sims,  the  novelist,  to  Hammond, t  December 
27,  1847;  but  the  remark  was  not  true  of  South  Carolina.  She 
tried  to  build  up  a  civilization  and  she  included  literature  and 
art  among  its  attributes.  She  was  proud  of  Sims  and  of  Wash- 
ington Allston,  her  painter.  The  State  was  too  small  a  mar- 
ket to  support  Sims,  but  it  produced  him,  and  Timrod  and  Paul 
Hayne,  who  were  true  poets.  Hugh  S.  Legare's  Southern 
Review  was  as  good  as  any  review  of  its  day  and  the  newspapers 
contained  articles  which  showed  that  they  were  written  by  men 
of  cultivation,  thought  and  knowledge.  If  political  writing  is 
literature,  as  I  think  it  is,  South  Carolina  was  one  of  the  fore- 
most literary  communities  of  the  nation.  Calhoun,  Grimke, 
Hammond,  Harper,  R.  Y.  Hayne,  Turnbull,  McDuffie  and 
Petigru,  to  take  only  a  few  names  without  deliberation,  were 
writers  who  argued  convincingly,  analyzed  as  philosophers,  and 
demonstrated  an  easy  familiarity  with  classical  literature, 
ancient  and  modern.  They  clothed  their  thoughts  in  English 
with  which  no  purist  could  find  fault. 

The  city  of  Charleston  was  the  centering  point  of  South 
Carolina.  All  that  was  there  was  in  the  country  districts  and 
smaller  towns  also,  but  nowhere  else  did  it  flower  as  luxuriantly 
as  it  did  in  Charleston.  The  testimony  of  Henry  Adams,  the 
historian,  will  suffice  on  the  subject  of  Charleston  society. 


*American  Historical  Review,  XIII,  549.     Library  of  Congress  MSS.     "Tres- 
cot  Papers." 

t"  Hammond  Papers." 


VIII  Introduction 

"The  small  society  office  and  cotton  planters  at  Charleston,' ' 
he  says," with  their  cultivated  tastes  and  hospitable  habits, 
delighted  in  whatever  reminded  them  of  European  civilization. 
They  were  travellers,  readers  and  scholars;  the  society  of 
Charleston  compared  well  in  refinement  with  that  of  any  city  of 
its  size  in  the  world,  and  English  visitors  long  thought  it  the 
most  agreeable  in  America.* 

It  is  true  that  the  aristocrats  of  South  Carolina  delighted  in 
what  reminded  them  of  European  civilization,  but  it  must  be 
remarked  that  in  many  of  its  aspects  their  civilization  was  not 
European.  It  was,  in  fact,  their  own.  It  was  more  like  that  of 
the  West  Indies  than  it  was  like  any  other,  but  the  upper  part 
of  the  State  was  a  farmer's  country  quite  different  from  the 
region  of  the  rice  plantations,  and  from  the  farms  came  many  of 
the  strongest  and  most  influential  men  of  the  State.  Hammond 
spoke  of  the  low  country  "nobility,"  but  they  did  not  alone 
constitute  the  aristocratic  class,  for  it  was  constantly  invigor- 
ated by  accessions  from  the  up-country  and  included  in  it  men 
like  Hammond,  Calhoun  and  Petigru,  all  up-country  men. 
Huguenot  descendants  were  always  welcomed  into  it.  Indeed, 
if  one  strain  of  ancestry  was  accorded  special  consideration  it  was 
the  Huguenot  strain.  Paradoxical  as  it  may  sound,  however, 
the  aristocratic  class  was  democratic  in  its  foundation  and  made 
up  of  various  elements  of  various  origin. 

There  was  great  unanimity  in  the  political  sentiments  of 
South  Carolina  when  it  led  the  South  into  the  Civil  War,  but  it 
had  not  come  until  after  a  furious  conflict  of  opposing  ideas 
which  had  taken  place  thirty  years  before  Fort  Sumter  was  fired 
on.  Before  the  State  forced  the  Congress  of  the  United  States 
to  change  the  tariff  law  of  1832,  there  had  been  a  contest 
within  its  borders  which  had  almost  assumed  the  proportions  of 
civil  war.  The  line  of  division  between  the  opposing  parties  was 
clearly  drawn.  On  one  side  were  those  whose  devotion  to  the 
Union  transcended  all  other  political  sentiments,  and  the  leader 
of  that  party  was  James  Louis  Petigru.  On  the  other  side  were 
the  men  whose  country  was  South  Carolina.  After  a  conflict 
which  aroused  animosities  which  were  never  completely  allayed, 
the  party  composed  of  those  who  acknowledged  no  allegiance 

*History  of  the  United  States,  1,  149. 


James  Louis  Petigru  ix 

superior  to  that  which  they  owed  to  their  State  triumphed,  and 
an  Act  of  Congress  was  formally  declared  to  be  null  and  void 
within  the  borders  of  South  Carolina.  Thereafter,  some  of  the 
members  of  the  Union  party  left  the  State,  and  some  who 
remained,  as  the  years  passed,  gave  up  the  hopeless  struggle 
against  the  predominating  doctrine  of  State  supremacy,  sover- 
eignty, fealty  and  allegiance.  By  the  time  the  Civil  War  came 
there  were  fewer  Union  men  in  South  Carolina  than  there  were 
in  any  other  Southern  State. 

There  were  a  few,  however,  the  remnant  of  a  once  powerful 
party,  and  chief  among  them  was  Petigru. 

Although  Petigru  never  held  a  national  office,  except  for  two 
years  during  Filmore's  administration,  when  he  acted  as  United 
States  Attorney  at  Charleston,  and  never  appeared  in  national 
political  life  he  was,  nevertheless,  well  known  throughout  the 
country.  No  visitor  counted  a  visit  to  Charleston  as  complete 
until  he  had  met  him.  He  became  an  institution  of  Charles- 
ton. His  exalted  personal  character,  his  wit  and  humor,  his 
amiable  peculiarities,  his  impressive  personal  appearance  com- 
bined with  his  wisdom  and  broad  humanity  to  make  him  a 
marked  man,  one  who  was  sought  after,  listened  to  and 
quoted.  The  American  bar  looked  upon  him  as  one  of  its 
giants.  If  a  single  one  of  his  characteristics  must  be  named  as 
predominant,  it  was  his  love  of  justice.  He  loved  the  law  as 
the  instrument  of  justice.  If  a  single  one  of  his  political  beliefs 
must  be  given,  it  was  his  conviction  that  the  American  Consti- 
tution was  the  greatest  plan  of  government  ever  devised.  His 
belief  in  the  rights  of  the  individual  man  and  freedom  of  con- 
scientious opinion  was  so  strong  that.  Unionist  as  he  was,  he 
accorded  to  others  the  same  right  of  belief  that  he  demanded 
for  himself.  Several  of  his  relatives  were  in  the  Confederate 
service.  He  would  not  coerce  them  from  following  what  they 
believed  was  their  duty,  and  he  would  not  be  coerced  in  follow- 
ing what  he  believed  was  his  own  duty. 

In  estimating  Mr.  Petigru,  the  mistake  must  not  be  made  of 
thinking  of  him  as  "a  Southern  man  with  Northern  principles." 
He  was  as  much  of  a  Southerner  as  any  of  his  neighbors  were. 
There  was  a  time  in  his  life  when  he  regretted  that  he  had  not  left 
his  native  State,  as  some  other  Union  men  had  done,  and  gone 
to  New  York  or  other  Northern  city;  but  if  he  had  done  so  he 


X  Introduction 

would  always  have  been  a  Carolinian  living  in  another  place- 
He  was  essentially  a  product  of  "the  romantic  and  picturesque 
element  in  our  great  Confederacy,"  and  had  the  qualities  which 
it  produced;  but  we  can  hardly  censure  the  tempestuous  temper, 
the  improvident  generosity,  and  the  domineering  superiority 
of  a  man  who  loved  flowers  and  trees,  who  always  tried  to  be 
just,  whose  intellect  was  the  equal  of  the  highest,  and  whose 
courage,  physical,  mental  and  moral,  was  unconquerable.  Peti- 
gru  would  have  denied  that  he  held  the  sentiments  of  a  Northern 
man.  He  would  have  insisted  that  his  sentiments  were  National 
— were  those  of  Southern  men  as  well  as  Northern  men,  were 
those  of  the  Southern  statesmen  who  played  a  principal  part  in 
creating  the  National  Government  and  putting  it  in  operation, 
were  the  convictions  which  had  prevailed  in  South  Carolina 
itself  until  the  NulHfication  party  triumphed  by  a  bare  majority 
in  1832.  He  would  have  insisted  that  it  was  the  State  and  the 
South  which  had  changed  and  not  himself. 

Inspired  to  the  task  by  Petigru's  daughter,  Mrs.  Caroline 
Carson,  her  son,  Mr.  James  Petigru  Carson,  has  gathered  to- 
gether in  the  course  of  many  years  of  devoted  labor  a  great 
quantity  of  Petigru's  letters,  his  speeches  and  a  few  of  his  legal 
arguments,  and  many  of  them  are  printed  in  this  volume. 
They  develop,  as  only  such  papers  can,  Mr.  Petigru's  legal  and 
political  career,  and  his  daily  life  and  habits.  They  are  valu- 
able on  that  account,  but  they  have  additional  interest  because 
they  give  an  intimate  view  of  the  type  of  men  who  controlled 
South  Carolina  when  the  State  wielded  so  much  power  in  the 

nation. 

Gaillard  Hunt. 


Washington, 

August  20,  1920. 


PREFACE 


James  Louis  Petigru  was  simply  an  American,  and  a  patriot 
always  devoted  to  the  advancement  of  the  physical  and  social 
welfare  of  his  native  State.  For  thirty  years  he  was  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  of  the  bar  of  South  Carolina,  when  for  brilliancy, 
learning  and  practice  it  stood  among  the  first  in  the  United 
States. 

He  was  of  the  school  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  a  Federalist  and 
a  Whig.  He  considered  the  Constitution  as  an  inspired  docu- 
ment, and  love  of  the  Union  was  part  of  his  religion;  and  from 
his  fearless  maintenance  of  his  views  throughout  his  life  he  can 
justly  be  termed  the  "Union  Man  of  South  Carolina." 

His  opposition  to  the  political  creed  of  South  Carolina  was 
fundamental.  During  the  heated  period  of  Nullification  he  was 
in  bitter  opposition  to  the  majority  of  his  fellow-citizens,  many 
of  whom  were  his  closest  and  warmest  friends.  He  was  really 
the  head  of  the  Union  party,  but  after  doing  most  of  the  labor 
he,  with  his  usual  modesty,  always  put  forward  one  of  his  friends 
into  the  first  place. 

On  none  of  the  questions  that  afterwards  agitated  South 
Carolina  did  he  ever  share  the  popular  passions.  His  mind 
rose  far  above  all  illusions  and  neither  fear  nor  favor  could  in- 
fluence his  judgment.  No  man  ever  threw  himself  more  unhesi- 
tatingly upon  his  own  sense  of  right.  Serenely  abiding  the  issue, 
he  devotedly  and  fearlessly  led  the  forlorn  hope  of  the  Union 
party  up  to  the  final  outcome  of  secession  and  the  Civil  War. 

Although  he  well  understood  the  advantages  of  seeking  a  home 
north  of  the  Potomac,  yet  he  felt  that  he  never  could  abandon 
the  ties  that  bound  him  to  his  family,  friends  and  the  many 
who  were  dependent  upon  him.  His  local  attachment  was  very 
great,  but  probably  there  was  no  State  in  the  Union  where  his 
political  following  and  influence  would  not  have  achieved  greater 
results  than  in  South  Carolina. 

His  afi^ections  were  peculiarly  tender,  and  during  the  war  the 
sufferings  endured  by  his  neighbors  continually  wrung  his  heart. 
His  moral   and  physical   courage   in   avowing  his  opinions   in 

(xi) 


XII  Preface 

opposition  to  a  whole  State  in  arms  surprised  no  one  who  knew 
his  contempt  for  danger  and  his  indifference  to  popular  applause. 
His  conduct  met  a  responsive  chord  among  his  people,  and 
though  they  differed  with  him  they  were  proud  of  him  as  a  fellow- 
Carolinian.  It  is  remarkable  that  many  of  his  dearest  friends 
were  among  his  most  bitter  political  opponents. 

Mr.  Petigru  never  kept  a  diary  and  seldom  spoke  of  himself 
or  of  his  early  life  except  when  relating  some  anecdote  in  which 
other  persons  figured.  It  is  a  loss  ever  to  be  deplored  that  much 
of  his  early  correspondence  and  a  diary  kept  by  his  daughter 
Caroline  were  destroyed  by  the  burning  of  his  house  in  the  fire  of 
1861.  Many  of  his  manuscript  letters,  however,  were  preserved 
by  his  daughters  and  others  were  obtained  from  various  sources. 
Often  after  a  hard  day's  work,  letters  were  written  late  at  night 
to  members  of  his  family  without  the  slightest  suspicion  that 
they  would  ever  be  published  which  show  the  great  facility  of  his 
style  and  depth  of  the  outpourings  of  his  heart. 

Mr.  Edward  Everett  had  contemplated  writing  a  Life  of 
Petigru,  and  he  was  supplied  with  such  notes  and  recollections 
as  Mrs.  Carson  could  furnish,  which,  however,  were  entirely 
inadequate  for  the  purpose.  After  his  death  they  were  returned 
to  her  and  have  been  freely  used  in  the  following  pages. 

A  tin  box  containing  some  of  Mr.  Petigru's  private  papers 
was  accidentally  discovered  in  a  local  law  office  where  it  had 
lain  for  some  thirty  years.  The  contents  of  this  box  proved  to 
be  a  mine  of  information,  and  furnished  many  dates  and  facts 
which  filled  up  gaps  in  his  career.  "Grayson's  Memoir"  pub- 
lished by  Harpers  in  1866,  and  Joseph  Blythe  Allston's  sketch 
of  his  life  and  letters,  published  in  The  Charleston  News  and 
Courier  in  1900,  have  been  corrected,  and  freely  used  wherever 
available. 

The  letters  have  been  arranged  chronologically  as  far  as  pos- 
sible, but  some  of  them  have  been  segregated  when  the  subject 
would  be  more  clearly  shown.  An  endeavor  has  been  made  to 
present  the  picture  of  the  man  and  let  him  delineate  the  story 
of  his  life  with  his  own  master  hand;  but  to  fill  out  the  back- 
ground of  the  picture  explanatory  notes  of  people  and  political 
events  have  been  added. 

This  many-sided  man,  although  his  lot  was  cast  in  a  limited 
circle  and  he  was  ever  without  place  and  power,  from  the  pure 


James  Louis  Petigru  y.ni 

force  of  his  personal  character,  the  brilliancy  of  his  talents  and 
preeminence  in  his  profession  earned  the  admiration  and  vener- 
ation of  the  people,  not  only  of  his  own  State  but  also  of  the 
whole  country. 

James  Petigru  Carson. 


Charleston, 
June  15,  1919. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter  I 
Genealogy 1 

Chapter  II 
Jean  Louis  Gibert,  1722-1773      5 

Chapter  III 
The  Pastor's  Children       14 

Chapter  IV 
Childhood;  The  Farm  at  Badwell       17 

Chapter  V 
School       28 

Chapter  VI 
College 33 

Chapter  VII 
Teaching  School  and  Reading  Law 37 

Chapter  VIII 
Social  Life  at  Beaufort      40 

Chapter  IX 
Admitted  to  the  Bar;  A  Soldier 46 

Chapter  X 

1813 

Commences  the  Practice  of  Law 50 

Chapter  XI 

1816-1819 

His  Marriage  and  Religion       58 

Chapter  XII 

1820 

Law  Practice  in  Charleston;  Law  Office  and  Garden;  Cases     62 

Chapter  XIII 
1826-1829 

Misfortunes;  His  Sisters,  and  Social  Life 72 

(xv) 


XVI  Contents 

Chapter  XIV 
1830-1831 
Defeated  as  Union  Candidate  for  State  Senator;  Work  of 
the  Union  Party 78 

Chapter  XV 

1832 

The  Union  Party  and  Nullification 87 

Chapter  XVI 

1833 

Repeal  of  Nullification      115 

Chapter  XVII 

March-August,  1834 
Argument  Against  the  Test  Oath;  Political  Situation     .    .    130 

Chapter  XVIII 
August-December,  1834 
Closing  Scenes  in  the  Drama  of  Nullification;  Pacification 
Between  Nullifiers  and  Whigs  Brought  About  by  Hamilton 
and  Petigru 157 

Chapter  XIX 
1835 
Tribute    to    Chief  Justice    Marshall;    Visits    New    York; 
Removes  Daughter,  Caroline,  from  School;  Death  of  his 
Brother,  Charles;   Genealogy;  Administration   of  Plan- 
tation        172 

Chapter  XX 
1836 
Advice  to  Legare;  Death  of  his  Brother-in-law;  Marriages 
of  his  Sisters;  Cholera;  Fire  in  City;  Buying  Land     .    .     181 

Chapter  XXI 
1837 
The  Britt  Pension  and  Coolness  with  Poinsett;  Death  of  his 
Father;  Choctaw  Country,  Mississippi 188 

Chapter  XXII 
1838 
Mrs.  North  to  Teach  School;  Fire  in  Charleston;  Governor 
Gilmer  of  Georgia;  Legare 195 


James  Louis  Petigru  xvii 

Chapter  XXIII 

1839 

Sells  Plantation;  Economizing;  Feet  in  the  Stocks       .    .    .    203 

Chapter  XXIV 
1841 
Marriage  of  his  Daughter,  Caroline,  to  William  A.  Carson; 
Dean  Hall  Plantation,  Cooper  River 206 

Chapter  XXV 
1842 

Financial  Failure 212 

Chapter  XXVI 
1843 
The    Dowager;    Case    ot    Jewell    &    Jewell;    Mr.    Legare; 
Marriage  of  his  Daughter,  Susan;  Lecture  to  Susan;  The 

Schultz  Case       224 

Chapter  XXVII 
1844 
Ball  in  Honor  of  Mr.  Clay;  Election  of  Governor  Aiken;  Mr. 

Hoar ' 238 

Chapter  XXVIII 
1845 
Mesmerism;    Life    Mask;    White    Sulphur    Springs;    Mr. 
Clay;  Philadelphia;  New  York 241 

Chapter  XXIX 
1846-1847 
Hospitality;    Dress    Coat  "Destituated";    A    Mean  Inn; 

Daniel;  Mexico       257 

Chapter  XXX 
1848 
Disgusted  with  Taylor  Democratic  Clubs;  Stump  Speech 
in  Abbeville   for  General  Taylor;   Bernard   Bee;   Dines 
with  Mr.  Calhoun;  Flask  and  Silver  Cup;  Stump  Speech 
for  Taylor  in  "The  Range" 265 

Chapter  XXXI 

1849 
James   Johnston    Pettigrew   Arrived;   The   New   Cabinet; 
Keeping  the  Peace;  Retirement  of  Mr.  Lesesne  from  the 
Firm 276 


XVIII  Contents 

Chapter  XXXII 
1850 
Calvary   Church   Riot;   Compromise   of   1850;  Appointed 
U.  S.  District  Attorney;  Philadelphia  on  Law  Business; 
South  Carolina  Legislature;  Travels  of  J.  J.  Pettigrew      .    280 

Chapter  XXXIII 

1851 

Murder  Case  at  Camden;  His  Nephew,  Phil  Porcher     .    .    287 

Chapter  XXXIV 

1852 
Crying   Speech;   White   Sulphur   Springs;    Death   of  Mr, 
Webster;  Calhoun  Monument        291 

Chapter  XXXV 

1853 
Visit  to  Governor  David  Johnson;  The  Kohne  Case;  "The 
Busy  Moments  of  an  Idle  Woman"       295 

Chapter  XXXVI 
1854 
Borrowing  Money  for  Client;  Case  at  Walterboro;  Speech  at 
Semi-Centennial  of  South  Carolina  College;  Dinner  with 
Governor  Manning;  Preventing  a  Duel;  The  Genus  "Rice 

Planter";  Grayson's  Poem       298 

Chapter  XXXVII 
1855 
Argument  Before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Washington;  Has  a 
Mind   to  Take  up  Lecturing;  Marriage  of  Mr.   Dorn; 
Captain  Thomas  Petigru  and  the  Retiring  Board       .    .    313 

Chapter  XXXVIII 
1856 
Marriage  of  Miss  Elliott;  Oration  at  Erskine  College,  Due 
W'est,  S.  C;  Mrs.  Petigru  at  Flat  Rock;  First  President 
of  South   Carolina   Historical   Society;   Magrath-Taber 
Duel      317 

Chapter  XXXIX 

1857 
Defeat  in  Law  Case;  Death  of  Captain  Thomas  Petigru; 
Completion  of  Memphis  &  Charleston  Railroad;  Failure 
of  Banks      321 


James  Louis  Petigru  xix 

Chapter  XL 
1858 
Appeal  to  Susan;  Death  of  Colonel  Hampton  and  Doctor 
Oilman;  Visit  of  Mr.  Edward  Everett;  His  Letters;  Tren- 
holm;    Marietta,    Ga.;    Defends    Blue    Ridge    Railroad; 
Opposed  by  Tombs  &  Cobb       325 

Chapter  XLI 

1859 
Historical  Investigations;  James  Late;  Lecture  to  Willie; 
South    Carolina    Railroad    Bridge;  Revival  Stirs  Abbe- 
ville   Atmosphere       342 

Chapter  XLII 
Slavery;    Besselleu;    George    Broad;   Passage    to    Liberia; 
The  Smalley   Case;  Old  Tom;  Return  of  a  Miscreant; 
Daddy  Lunnon       347 

Chapter  XLIII 
1860 
Edward  Everett;  White  Sulphur  Springs;  Working  on  Code; 
Political;  Law  about  Guns;  Miss  Cunningham,  Mount 
Vernon;   Toney    Drunk;    Political;    Secession    of  South 
Carolina       355 

Chapter  XLIV 
January-March,  1861 
Edward  Everett;  Comments;  Governor  and  Mrs.  Pickens; 
Shuffling  Buchanan;  Davis  Becomes  President;  Elected 
Honorary  Member  Massachusetts  Historical  Society; 
Foreseen  Defects  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States;  No  Near  Solution  of  Fort  Sumter  Entanglement; 
Visit  of  Lamon  and  Hurlbut 365 

Chapter  XLV 
April-June,  1861 
Fort  Sumter;  Huguenot  Records;  Sadness  at  the  Taking  of 
Fort  Sumter;  Lincoln's  Policy;  Dinner  to  Dr.  W.  H. 
Russell;  Reverdy  Johnson;  Mrs.  Carson  Returns  to  New 
York;  Inhabitants  of  Summerville  Shy  of  him;  Rhett,  Jr., 
Publishes  him  as  a  Monarchist;  Card  from  J.J.  Pettigrew  376 


XX  Consents 

Chapter  XLVI 
July-October,  1861 

Johnston  as  a  Private;  Hurlbut  a  State  Prisoner  in  Defiance 
of  Magna  Charta;  Belief  in  General  Scott;  Wishes  he  Were 
on  the  Other  Side  of  the  Potomac;  Fighting  will  Dispose 
People  to  be  More  Civil  to  One  Another;  Comments  on  the 
Battle  of  Manassas;  Afraid  Defeat  Would  Have  Cost 
General  Scott  his  Life;  The  Code;  The  Well;  Doings  of  the 
Clergy;  Efforts  on  Behalf  of  Hurlbut 386 

Chapter  XLVII 
October,  1861 

Mr.  Petigru's  Argument  Against  Sequestration  Act    .    .    .    395 

Chapter  XLVIII 
October-November,  1861 

Work  on  the  Code;  Advice  to  his  Grandson,  James;  Federal 
Descent  on  the  Seacoast;  General  Panic,  and  Abandon- 
ment of  the  Sea  Islands 411 

Chapter  XLIX 
December,  1861 

Silver  Deposited  for  Safe-keeping  in  Commercial  Bank  of 
Columbia;|Its  Ultimate  Loss;  Great  Fire  in  Charleston; 
Burning  of  his  House;  Courage  and  Cheerfulness  in 
Adversity;  Bank  of  Charleston  Votes  a  Year's  Salary  in 
Advance;  Re-elected  by  Legislature  Commissioner  for 
Digesting  and  Re-molding  the  Laws,  with  the  Same 
Salary 418 

Chapter  L 
January-April,  1862 

Delivery  of  Mason  and  Slidell;  about  Sending  James  to 
New  York,  and  his  Emigration;  Miss  Sally  Rutledge; 
General  R.  E.  Lee;  Letter  to  Barnwell  Rhett;  The  Right 
to  Change  a  Boy's  Domicile;  On  the  War;  Letter  to  J.  J. 
Pettigrew;  First  Dollar  to  the  Cause;  J.  J.  Pettigrew 
Promoted 426 


'James  Louis  Petigru  xxi 

Chapter  LI 
April-July,  1862 
Comments  on  the  War;  Wishes  he  had  Emigrated  Forty 
Years  Ago;  General  Pemberton  Determined  to  Burn  the 
City;  Rumor  of  Death  of  J.  J.  Pettigrew;  Battle  of 
Secessionville;  Death  of  his  Son-in-law,  Henry  C.  King; 
South  Bleeding  at  Every  Pore;  Removal  to  Summerville  440 

Chapter  LII 
July-September,  1862 

Comments  on  McClellan  and  the  War;  Work  on  the  Code; 
"Johnston  a  Genius" 455 

Chapter  LIII 
October-December,  1862 
Epoch  of  his  Life;  Interpretation  of  History;  Defending  a 
Free  Negro;  Discharge  of  Elkins  Held  Contrary  to 
Confederate  Act;  Scarcity  of  Salt;  "The  Avenue  the 
Only  Chance  of  Going  Down  to  Posterity";  Has  not 
Changed  his  Views;  The  Code  Finished;  Message  Sent 
Through  Lieutenant  Didier,  H.  I.  M.  Ship  Milan      .    .    458 

Chapter  LIV 
January-March,  1863 
Death  of  Daniel  Petigru;  Helping  the  Unfortunate;  James 
Goes  to  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C;  Advice  to  James;  More 
Concerned  About  Health  than  the  Movements  of  General 
Hunter;  His  Last  Letter,  Directions  About  Trees; 
Closing  Days;  Letter  of  Alfred  Huger;  Preface  of  Bar 
Association  and  Correction  of  Memorial  466 

Chapter  LV 
The  Epitaph 477 


Index 439 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

James  Louis  Petigru    (1845) frontispiece 

Reverend  Etienne  Gibert facing     8 

White  Oak  Avenue,  Badwell 24 

Ballot,  1832 96 

Book   Plate 176 

Seal 180 

Caroline  Petigru  at  Eighteen 184 

Mrs.  R.  F.  Allston 200 

James  Louis  Petigru   (1842) 208 

James  Louis  Petigru  (1861) 376 

J.  Johnston  Pettigrew 384 


(XXIIl) 


JAMES   LOUIS   PETIGRU 

THE    UNION    MAN    OF    SOUTH    CAROLINA 


CHAPTER  I 
Genealogy 


James  Louis  Petigru  was  born  on  the  10th  of  May,  1789,  on 
a  farm  in  the  Flatwood  Section  of  Abbeville  County,  South 
Carolina. 

He  was  named  after  his  two  grandfathers,  James  Pettigrew, 
the  Scotch-Irish  emigrant,  and  the  Reverend  Jean  Louis  Gibert, 
the  Huguenot  Pastor  of  the  Desert. 

From  his  father  he  derived  his  love  of  books,  his  wit,  his  quaint 
humor  and  pathos;  from  his  mother  his  gravity  of  mind,  un- 
wearied industry,  conscientiousness  and  the  martyr  spirit  in 
which  he  lived  his  life. 

According  to  tradition  the  Pettigrews  originally  came  from 
France  to  Scotland  about  1648,  and  went  to  Ireland  about  1660. 

James  Pettigrew  III,  the  emigrant,  was  borne  in  County  Ty- 
rone, Ireland,  April,  1713,  and  died  in  Abbeville,  S.  C,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1784.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  left  college  and  eloped 
with  Mary  Cochran,  six  months  his  junior.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  George  Cochran  of  The  Grange. 

After  a  time  James  decided  to  go  to  the  woods  of  Pennsyl- 
vania to  seek  his  fortune.  Leaving  the  eldest  ot  his  tour  chil- 
dren with  her  grandmother  in  Ireland,  he  and  his  wife,  with  a 
daughter  and  two  boys,  emigrated  to  America  and  landed  at 
New  Castle  in  1740.  He  had  ;^5(X)  in  cash  and  he  received 
remittances  from  Ireland  until  the  Revolution.  Though  he 
never  graduated  from  college,  he  had  a  good  classical  and  gen- 
eral education.  In  Philadelphia  he  knew  the  prominent  men 
of  the  day,  Dr.  Franklin  among  others,  and  that  shrewd  observer 


2  Life  J  Letters  and  Speeches 

advised  him  to  study  medicine.     Having  the  restless  spirit  of 
a  wanderer  and  speculator,  he  disregarded  this  advice. 

He  obtained  a  tract  of  300  acres  of  land  on  Marsh  Creek,  near 
Chambersburg,Pa.  Here  his  fifth  child,  Charles,  was  born  March 
20,  1744.  It  is  said  that  he  became  very  religious  and  allowed 
no  cooking  in  the  house  on  Sunday,  a  circumstance  to  which  he 
owed  his  life,  for  on  a  Sunday  hostile  Indians  came  in  his  direction 
and  seeing  no  smoke  coming  from  his  chimneys  concluded  that 
the  house  was  unoccupied.  In  recognition  of  this  providential 
intervention  he  afterwards  called  one  of  his  sons  Ebenezer.  He 
sent  to  Ireland  for  his  eldest  daughter  but  she  died  on  the  voy- 
age over.  He  succeeded  in  getting  his  farm  well  settled  but  it 
was  broken  up  by  the  war,  and  after  Braddock's  defeat  in  1755 
he  sold  his  land  for  ^80.  He  then  moved  to  Lunenburg  County, 
Va.,  where  he  hired  some  land  and  remained  three  years.  His 
son  William,  the  thirteenth  child,  was  born  here  January  26, 
1758. 

He  then  moved  to  Granville  County,  N.  C,  where  he  remained 
for  ten  years.  While  there  his  third  son,  Charles,  went  to 
Edenton,  N.  C,  to  teach  school.  Charles  afterwards  became 
the  first  Episcopal  Bishop  of  North  Carolina.  Hearing  favor- 
able accounts  of  the  land  in  South  Carolina,  James  Pettigrew 
sold  his  North  Carolina  land  in  October,  1768.  After  three 
weeks'  travel  he  reached  Long  Cane  River  about  seven  miles 
from  Abbeville  Courthouse.  Here  with  the  spirit  of  the  specu- 
lator he  had  a  large  tract  of  land  surveyed  by  Colonel  Gaillard 
and  his  son  Henry  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a  grant  from  the 
Crown.  This  land  was  claimed  by  a  man  called  Salvadore, 
whose  agent  interfered,  and  to  avoid  a  law  suit  the  land  was 
abandoned.  Itwas  for  years  afterwards  known  as  "  JewsLand." 
James  Pettigrew  remained  in  this  section  for  four  years.  In 
1773  he  bought  a  farm  in  what  is  known  as  the  Flat  Section  of 
Abbeville  District,  situated  on  Little  River,  an  affluent  of  the 
Savannah  River,  about  ten  miles  distant.  The  land  being  fertile 
he  made  good  crops,  his  cattle  increased  and  he  was  becoming 
very  prosperous.  In  1776  there  occurred  an  outbreak  of  the 
Cherokee  Indians,  and  those  who  escaped  massacre  were  forced 
to  seek  safety  at  the  Huguenot  Fort  of  James  Noble,  which  was 
commanded  by  Patrick  Calhoun,  the  father  of  John  Caldwell 
Calhoun.     In  a  short  time  they  returned  home  and  enjoyed 


James  Louis  Petigru  3 

tranquility  until  1 779.  Two  of  his  sons  entered  the  patriot  army, 
one  of  whom,  James,  was  killed  at  the  Siege  of  Savannah.  Later 
the  two  younger  daughters  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  and 
twenty-five  years,  leaving  the  old  people  with  only  the  youngest 
son,  William. 

After  the  fall  of  Charleston  the  life  of  no  man  was  safe.  The 
country  was  infested  with  rascally  "bush-whackers"  of  both  the 
Whig  and  Tory  parties. 

James  Pettigrew  was  a  strong  Whig,  somewhat  skilled  in  medi- 
cine, and,  there  being  few  practitioners  in  the  country,  when- 
ever called  upon  he  gave  help  impartially  to  both  Whig  and  Tory, 
for  which  reason  he  was  little  disturbed.  A  few  years  later, 
about  the  middle  of  December,  he  went  to  "a  sacramental  occa- 
sion" at  Pickens'  Meeting  House,  where  Abbeville  Courthouse 
now  stands.  There  he  remained  all  night.  The  weather  was 
verv  cold  and  the  bed-clothes  insufficient  so  he  took  a  violent 
cold.  On  Sunday  night,  after  the  meeting,  he  rode  home  twelve 
miles;  pneumonia  soon  developed.  He  was  sensible  of  his  ap- 
proaching dissolution  and  comforted  his  wife  with  his  assurances 
of  a  happy  immortality.  He  died  December  24,  1784,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-one.  His  wife  survived  him  two  years,  and 
died  October  7,  1786,  aged  seventy-three.  They  were  married 
in  1731  and  produced  the  good  patriarchal  number  of  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  six  girls  and  six  boys  came  to  maturity. 

William  Pettigrew  was  born  in  Lunenburg  County,  Va.,  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1758,  and  died  at  Badwell,  Abbeville  County,  S.  C, 
January  23,  1837. 

He  was  the  youngest  of  the  thirteen  children  and  was  born 
when  his  parents  were  forty-five  years  old.  He  inherited  his 
father's  farm  at  the  Flat  W^oods.  At  the  Indian  outbreak  of 
1776  he  served  with  various  expeditions  which  extended  into 
the  Creek  and  Cherokee  country  from  the  Ocmulgee  River  to 
the  Coosa  River  in  Georgia.  In  the  Revolutionary  W^ar  he  im- 
mediately went  to  the  front.  Lender  Colonel  Pickens  he  was 
in  the  action  at  McGowan's  Blockhouse  in  Wilkes  County,  Ga., 
eight  miles  above  Cherokee  Ford  on  the  Savannah  River. 

The  command  of  William  Pettigrew  joined  General  Lincoln  in 
Georgia  and  after  the  defeat  at  Stono  Ferry,  June  20,  1779, 
were  discharged  and  returned  home.  After  the  fall  of  Charles- 
ton, May,  1780,  Colonel  Pickens  assembled  his  regiment  and 


4  Life,  Letters  atid  Speeches 

they  surrendered  their  arms  to  the  Tory  Colonel  Richard  Paris. 
In  accordance  with  the  conciliatory  and  cunning  policy  of  Corn- 
wallis  they  were  allowed  to  take  "British  protection"  and  re- 
turn home.  But  when  General  Greene  besieged  Ninety-six  in 
1781,  then  held  by  the  Tory  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cruger  of  New 
York,  like  all  good  patriots  William  Pettigrew  was  among  the 
first  to  join  Pickens  and  remained  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
received  a  wound  in  action  for  which  he  drew  a  pension. 


'James  Louis  Petigru 


CHAPTER  II 
Jean  Louis  Gibert 

1722-1773 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  James  Louis  Petigru  was  the 
Reverend  Jean  Louis  Gibert,  pastor  at  New  Bordeaux,  the  third 
and  last  of  the  French  Protestant  settlements  in  South  Carolina.* 

Situated  in  the  foothills  of  the  Cevennes  Mountains,  fifteen 
kilometers  from  the  town  of  d'Alais,  in  the  Province  of  Lan- 
guedoc,  is  the  village  of  Lunes.  Here  the  Gibert  family  had 
owned  and  occupied  a  small  but  comfortable  house  for  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty  years.  They  belonged  to  that  strong  race  of 
mountaineers  who  after  the  Revocation  of  Nantes  were  in  re- 
bellion against  the  government  of  the  great  King. 

Pierre  Gibert  and  his  wife  Louise  Guy  had  three  sons.  Pierre 
the  eldest,  whose  son  Pierre  was  the  progenitor  of  those  of  the 
name  now  living  in  South  Carolina;  Jean  Louis  Gibert  born 
29th  of  June,  1722,  and  Etienne  born  2d  September,  1736;  the 
last  two  being  known  as  the  "Pastors  of  the  Desert." 

Jean  Louis  was  imbued  with  piety  from  an  early  age.  In 
1746  he  entered  the  Seminary  at  Lausanne,  and  after  three  years' 
study  he  was  ordained  and  assigned  to  the  parish  of  San  Martin 
du  Bouboux.  He  had  black  hair  and  gray  eyes,  classical  feat- 
ures and  an  attractive  and  determined  expression;  he  was  of 
medium  height,  well  built,  strong  and  active.  He  was  naturally 
a  man  of  action — a  leader  of  men — and  had  he  not  been  endowed 
with  the  spirit  of  an  evangelist  he  probably  would  have  been  a 
soldier. 

In  1750  he  plunged  into  the  work  of  his  pastorate  with  irre- 
sistible courage  and  zeal,  and  his  duties  were  continually  ex- 
tended.    Tradition!  tells  how  he  would  sometimes  appear  dis- 

*Recherches  Historiques  sur  les  deux  Freres  Jean  Louis  Gibert  et  Etienne 
Gibert,  Pasteurs  en  Saintonge,  par  A.  Crottet,  Pasteur,  Yverdon,  Canton  du 
Vaud,  Suisse.     1860.     Les  Freres  Gibert  Deux  Pasteurs  du  desert  et  du  refuge 
(1722-1817)  par  Daniel  Benoit,  Pasteur.     Toulouse,  1889. 
jSee  Benoit,  page  56,  and  Appendix. 


6  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

guised  as  a  countryman  or  shepherd,  assemble  his  flock  at  night 
in  some  secluded  spot  (in  French  "the  Desert")  and  preach, 
baptise  and  administer  the  sacrament.  These  assemblies  often 
numbered  four  to  five  thousand  people.  They  were  frequently 
dispersed  by  the  soldiers,  but  this  seemed  merely  to  increase  his 
resolve  and  a  few  days  afterward  he  would  hold  another  meeting. 
In  1755  Jean  Louis  Gibert  with  his  brother  Etienne,  who  for 
two  years  had  accompanied  him  as  secretary  and  a  companion, 
escaped  a  trap  set  for  them  at  Pons.  Of  two  other  companions 
one  was  killed  and  one  captured  by  the  soldiers.  In  the  saddles 
of  these  men  were  Gibert's  records  and  papers,  and  in  conse- 
quence, by  proclamation,  he  and  his  brother  were  condemned 
and  a  price  put  upon  their  heads  dead  or  alive.  Jean  Louis  was 
sentenced  to  make  an  act  of  abjuration,  to  be  hanged,  gibbeted 
and  his  body  thrown  into  the  offal  ditch.  Etienne  was  sen- 
tenced to  be  branded  on  the  right  shoulder  with  the  letters 
GAL  and  sent  to  the  galleys  for  life.  He  escaped  to  Lausanne, 
where  for  three  years  he  pursued  his  studies  at  the  seminary. 

Jean  Louis  continued  his  work,  and  with  the  presence  of  mind 
and  nerve  of  a  trained  scout  managed  to  escape  the  traps  and 
stratagems  to  capture  him. 

When  dealing  with  his  flock  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  in- 
sisting on  temperance  and  that  on  Sundays  they  should  abstain 
from  work  and  amusements  and  devote  themselves  to  prayers 
and  meditation.  He  insisted  that  children  should  be  baptised 
regardless  of  the  fear  of  persecution.  To  a  man  fearing  to  have 
his  child  baptised  by  the  Pastor  the  latter  told  him  that  he 
"would  be  damned  by  all  the  devils  and  hell  would  be  his  por- 
tion." The  man,  however,  had  the  child  baptised  by  the  priest. 
When  Gibert  was  informed  of  the  fact  the  man  was  immediately 
excommunicated.  The  Bishop  suggested  a  modification  of  the 
treatment  of  his  parishioners,  but  he,  understanding  his  people, 
continued  with  firmness  that  brought  forth  fruit. 

In  1755,  when  there  was  a  relative  calm  in  the  persecution, 
believing  that  large  assemblies  in  the  woods  were  exposed  to  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather  and  easy  detection  by  the  soldiers, 
the  Pastor  decided  that  they  should  gather  in  smaller  groups, 
and  he  had  constructed  as  churches,  small  unpretentious  build- 
ings which  if  destroyed  could  easily  be  replaced.  Each  was 
provided  with  an  altar  and  benches  for  about   two   hundred 


James  Louis  Petigru  7 

people.  The  services  were  very  simple.  The  garb  of  the 
preacher  was  a  square  black  cap,  a  long  straight  coat  and  a  blue 
silk  collar. 

Persecution  was  renewed.  The  churches  were  used  as  bar- 
racks for  the  soldiers,  were  either  torn  down  or  burned. 

In  1760  Gibert  was  elected  president  or  Moderator  of  the 
Provincial  Synod  of  the  churches  of  Saintonge,  Angumois,  Peri- 
gord  and  Bordelais,  and  in  spite  of  persecution  the  converts  in- 
creased till  they  numbered  about  sixty  thousand. 

After  ten  years  of  unequal  struggle  he  decided  to  obtain  from 
the  government  of  England  authority  to  conduct  a  colony  to 
America,  and  provided  with  suitable  testimonials  he  arrived 
in  England  in  x'\pril,  1761.  He  wrote  to  Stecker,  Archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  and  explained  that  the  object  of  his  mission  was 
to  carry  a  certain  number  of  his  people  to  America  for  the  pur- 
pose "of  cultivating  the  vine  and  raising  silk,"  asking  also  that 
the  English  King  should  intervene  with  King  Louis  XV  so  that 
these  Protestants  with  their  wives  and  children  might  be  allowed 
to  leave  France.  The  Archbishop  submitted  the  letter  to  Pitt 
and  other  ministers  and  it  was  eventually  conveyed  to  King 
George  III,  and  met  with  his  approval. 

Gibert  returned  to  France  and  after  a  delay  of  two  years  ob- 
tained from  the  Synod  permission  to  withdraw  from  his  duties 
and  leave  the  country.  In  the  month  of  March,  1763,  he  ar- 
rived in  London  and  announced  the  coming  of  the  emigrants. 
Though  they  had  been  promised  a  welcome  no  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  their  reception.  Archbishop  Stecker  again 
came  to  his  assistance  and  through  his  influence  King  George 
contributed  a  thousand  pounds  for  the  benefit  of  the  emigrants. 
To  avoid  observation  they  came  in  small  groups  and  were  as- 
sembled at  Plymouth  on  the  25th  of  August. 

Unfortunately  there  was  a  long  delay;  consequently,  many 
renounced  the  projected  expedition  to  America  and  remained 
in  England.  However,  through  the  efforts  of  Gibert  and  his 
colleague,  Pierre  Boutiton,  on  the  25th  December,  1763,  the 
last  emigration  of  Huguenots  to  America  began  to  embark  at 
Plymouth  on  the  ship  Friendship*  Captain  George  Perkins, 
bound  for  Charleston,  S.  C. 

♦Letter  to  J.  L.  Petigru,  January  10,  1859,  from  W.  N.  Sainsbury,  29  Cambridge 
Street,  Fxcleston  Square,  London,  S.  W. 


8  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

While  waiting  for  a  fair  wind  the  emigrants  found  the  food 
bad  and  some  violent  language  was  exchanged  between  them 
and  the  captain;  for  this,  according  to  the  pious  chronicler,  they 
incurred  the  wrath  of  God  and  were  severely  punished.  On  the 
2d  of  January,  1764,  they  attempted  to  raise  the  anchor  but 
failed,  and  not  until  the  11th  did  they  set  sail.  On  entering 
the  channel  they  encountered  a  violent  storm.  With  difficulty 
they  were  saved  from  shipwreck,  and  wet,  cold  and  dejected 
they  reached  Torbay,  twelve  miles  farther  from  Charleston  than 
they  were  when  they  started.  They  returned  to  Plymouth 
and  on  the  22d  of  February,  with  a  favorable  wind,  they  again 
set  sail  for  America. 

After  a  monotonous  voyage  of  forty-seven  days  they  arrived 
in  Charleston  on  the  15th  of  April,  1764.  They  were  sheltered 
in  barracks  and  food  provided  for  them  by  the  descendants  of 
their  bourgeois  compatriots,  many  of  whom  were  from  the  same 
province  in  France  and  had  come  to  America  immediately  after 
the  Revocation  edict  of  1686. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1764,  they  received  from  Governor 
Thomas  Boone  and  Lieutenant-Governor  William  Bull  a  grant 
of  ten  square  miles  of  land  for  which  they  were  to  pay  yearly 
a  penny  an  acre,  which  sum  was  paid  until  the  Revolution. 

They  selected  a  section  in  Abbeville  County,  then  known  as 
the  District  of  Ninety-six.  This  was  on  the  banks  of  Little 
River,  twelve  miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Savannah. 

On  the  12th  of  October  the  colonists  started  from  Charleston, 
and  after  much  difficulty,  on  the  14th  of  November,  reached 
their  destination,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant. 
Immediately  on  their  arrival  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Little 
River  they  cleared  a  space  for  a  town  which  they  called  New 
Bordeaux  in  remembrance  of  the  capital  of  Guyenne,  from  which 
place  many  of  them  had  come.  In  the  center  of  the  town  was 
erected  a  large  building  for  a  storehouse  and  town  hall.  Houses 
were  built,  and  as  a  protection  against  the  Indians  a  fort,  called 
Fort  Bonne,  the  remains  of  which  still  exist  on  the  lands  of  Mr. 
Albert  Gibert.  To  each  adult  was  assigned  a  half-acre  lot 
within  the  town  for  the  immediate  cultivation  of  beans  and 
corn.  Outside  the  town  limits  four  acres  of  land  for  the  culti- 
vation of  the  vine  and  silk  was  granted,  and  in  addition  a  bonus 
of  one  hundred  acres. 


Reverend  Etienme  Gibert 
1736-1817 


(Facing  S) 


James  Louis  Petigru  9 

By  June,  1765,  they  had  finished  planting  corn  and  beans 
on  the  land  assigned  them. 

At  first  they  suffered  the  usual  hardships  of  pioneers,  but 
after  the  second  year  they  produced  all  that  was  necessary  for 
the  support  of  their  families. 

The  vine  and  silk  were  cultivated,  but  the  productive  crops 
were  tobacco,  corn,  hemp  and  indigo;  and  after  seven  years  of 
hard  work  the  colony  was  in  a  most  prosperous  condition. 

The  Pastor  devoted  himself  to  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
progress  of  the  country.  He  taught  the  school  and  conducted 
the  church  under  the  Presbyterian  form,  and  the  greatest  care 
was  given  to  the  registers  of  marriages  and  baptisms. 

Before  sailing  for  America  the  Pastor  had  married  the  sister 
of  his  colleague,  Pierre  Boutiton.*  According  to  family  tra- 
dition her  given  name  was  Isabeau  and  Mr.  Petigru  uses  this 
name  in  the  epitaph  of  her  son,  Joseph  Gibert.  On  the  passen- 
ger list  of  the  ship  Friendship,  dated  January  2,  1764,  we  find: 

"  1.  Mons.  Jean  Louis  Gibert,  age  41,  Pastor; 
2.  Mad.  Jeanne  Boutiton,  son  epouse,  age  21." 

The  register  of  the  French  Calvinist  Church  of  Charleston 
shows : 

"1767. 

"Louise  Le  Dimanche  11  Octobre  jai 
batise  Louise  fille  de  Mr.  Jean 
Louis  Gibert  &  de  Md  Jeanne 
Boutiton  son  epouse 
qui  I'ont  presentie  au  St.  Bateme. 
Nee  le  14th  Septembre." 


*Among  the  passengers  were  Jaques  Boutiton  and  his  wife  and  a  young  son,  also 
called  Pierre.  Jaques  returned  to  France.  The  Reverend  Pierre  Boutiton, 
who  was  26  years  old  when  he  came  to  the  colony,  died  before  the  war  of  Inde- 
pendence. Pierre,  the  younger  son,  married  a  widow  with  several  children, 
and  died  after  the  American  Revolution,  leaving  one  daughter,  Marguerite 
Boutiton,  who  died  in  Christ  Church  Parish,  in  1859,  at  an  extreme  old  age, 
leaving  all  she  was  worth  to  her  grandniece,  Armarinthia  Screven  Stuart, 
daughter  of  William  Stuart,  merchant,  of  Liverpool.  Investigations  which  Mr. 
Petigru  had  made  in  France  show  that  during  the  seventeenth  century  the 
Boutitons  and  Giberts  had  intermarried. 


10  J^ijsj  Letters  and  Speeches 

She  may  be  entitled  to  both  names.  But  little  is  known  about 
her,  but  we  can  infer  that  she  was  a  lady  of  practical  tastes  from 
the  fact  that  she  brought  with  her  from  France  a  wafer  iron 
marked  with  the  initials  "I.  B."  This  wafer  iron  is  still  pre- 
served, and  occasionally  used  at  Badwell. 

The  Pastor  located  his  home  one  mile  east  of  New  Bordeaux, 
selecting  the  end  of  a  ridge  overlooking  the  valley  of  Buffalo 
Creek.  He  built  a  comfortable  house  in  which  were  stored  a 
classical  library  and  various  papers  relating  to  his  work  in 
France,  and  also  the  records  of  the  colony.  Unfortunately,  all 
were  lost  when  the  house  was  burned  during  the  war  of  Inde- 
pendence. After  he  had  succeeded  in  bringing  the  colony  to  a 
prosperous  condition  he  was,  at  the  height  of  his  usefulness, 
suddenly  cut  off  by  a  stupid  accident.  His  cook,  John  Le  Roy, 
served  him  at  dinner  with  what  he  supposed  to  be  mushrooms; 
he  was  taken  violently  ill  and  died  a  few  days  afterwards,  in 
August,  1773,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one.  It  is  pathetic  that  a  man 
who  had  escaped  the  traps  and  stratagems  of  the  soldiers  of 
Louis  XV,  and  the  dangers  of  shipwreck,  should  have  his  career 
ended  by  the  veratria  poison  of  an  insignificant  toad  stool.  In 
the  family  cemetery,  contiguous  to  his  house,  his  grave  is  marked 
by  a  square  marble  monument  with  inscriptions  on  the  sides, — 
one  in  Latin,  one  in  French  and  one  in  English,  by  Mr.  H.  S. 
Legare;  on  the  fourth  side  the  record  of  his  birth,  the  date  of 
which  differs  from  that  recorded  by  Crotet. 

West  Side 

The  Devoted  Huguenots 

Not  like  other  adventurers 

Constrained  by  poverty  to  seek 

their  fortunes  on  a  distant  shore 

but  in  the  true  spirit  of  humble 

and  heroic  martyrdom 

they  plunged  into  the  depths  of 

an  untrodden  wilderness 

to  secure  that  liberty  of  conscience 

which  they  could  not  enjoy  in 

their  own  beautiful  land. 

Legare. 


James  Louis  Petigru  11 

South  Side 

Sacred  to  the  Memory 

of  the 

Rev.  John  Louis  Gibert 

Born  near  Alais 

in  Languedoc 

22nd  July  1722 

Died  in  August 

1773  '' 


The  sudden  death  of  the  Pastor  was  mourned  as  a  public 
calamity  and  his  parishioners  wept  for  him  as  for  a  father.  He 
was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Pierre  Gibert,  the  son  of  his  elder 
brother  before  mentioned,  and  under  him  the  colony  continued 
to  prosper  until  1777,  when  it  was  found  that  living  in  the  town 
produced  fever  and  the  people  began  to  settle  in  the  adjacent 
country.  About  this  time  the  value  of  cotton  began  to  be  recog- 
nized and  it  was  cultivated  with  other  crops.  Being  unable  to 
wait  till  the  culture  of  silk  and  the  vine  could  become  profitable 
it  was  practically  abandoned,  although  continued  by  a  few  for 
a  generation  longer. 

Pierre  Gibert  had  been  educated  in  England  by  his  uncle, 
Etienne,  and  was  brought  to  the  colony  by  his  uncle,  Jean  Louis. 
He  taught  school  and  the  colonists  are  indebted  to  him  for  their 
education  in  English.  He  was  among  the  first  to  embrace  the 
cause  of  Independence.  In  a  company  of  the  colonists,  Joseph 
Bouchillon  was  captain  and  Pierre  Gibert  the  lieutenant. 
They  served  through  the  war  from  the  siege  of  Savannah  to  the 
siege  of  Ninety-six.  He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  for 
many  years  represented  the  district  of  Abbeville  in  the  General 
Assembly  of  South  Carolina.  He  contributed  largely  to  the 
founding  of  the  church  and  Academy  at  Willington  and  he 
sought  out  and  secured  the  services  of  Dr.  Moses  Waddell,  who 
was  the  first  pastor  of  the  church  and  made  the  school  celebrated. 
Pierre  Gibert  died  June  20,  1815,  aged  sixty.  He  married  Eliza- 
beth Bienaimme,  and  many  of  their  descendants  were  ministers 
of  the  gospel. 

Although  two  hundred  and  twelve  colonists  landed  in  America, 
of  the  hundred  and  thirty-eight  who  settled  in  Abbeville  only 


12  ^(/^,  Letters  and  Speeches 

about  six  of  the  original  names  remain, — Bouchillon,   Covin, 
Gibert,  Guillebeaux,  Le  Roy  and  Moragne. 

Mr.  Petigru's   letter  of  September  4,  1823,  to  Mons.  Gibert 
has  interest  for  us  at  this  point. 


TO  M.    ELIE   GIBERT  CHEZ  M.   GABRIEL   PASTEUR  A   D  ALAIS, 
DEPARTMENT   DU    GARD. 

Charleston  4  Septembre  1827. 
Monsieur, 

Votre  lettre  du  18  Juin  1826  adressee  a  M.  Pierre  Gibert* 
m'est  parvenue;  et  je  I'ai  renvoye  a  son  fils  le  medecin  Joseph 
Bienaime  Gibert  a  Longcane.  Comme  il  n'est  pas  certain 
que  vous  receviez  de  reponse  de  lui  et  que  je  desire  renou- 
veller  les  relations  avec  la  respectable  famille  de  ma  mere  je 
prends  la  liberte  de  vousscrire.  Jesuismalheureusement  oblige 
de  commencer  par  vous  annoncer  la  mort  de  votre  estimable 
frere.  It  est  mort  le  20  Juin  1815.  C'estait  un  homme  eclaire, 
vertueux  et  juste.  II  jouissait  de  la  confiance  de  ses  concitoyens, 
qu'il  a  representes  plusieurs  fois  a  I'assemblee  de  la  Caroline  de 
Sud.  Sa  veuve  est  mort  le  20  Aout  1818.  Trois  fils,  Pierre,  Cle- 
ment et  Elie  sont  mort  garcons:  les  deux  premiers  avant  le  pere, 
Etienne,  un  autre  fils  est  mort  en  1823,  sa  veuve  est  restee  avec 
sept  enfans.  Jean  Louis  un  autre  fils  en  1826  sa  veuve  est 
reste  avec  six  enfans — les  deux  families  sont  a  peu  pres  a  leuraise. 
La  fille  puisnee  Susane  est  morte  il  y  a  trous  ans  laissant  un 
enfant,  Ceux  qui  ont  survecu  sont  Lucie,  veuve  Kennedy; 
Marie,  epouse  de  M.  Wright,  maitre  d'ecole;  Harriet  epouse  de 
M.  Hemphill,  Ministre  calviniste;  Elizabeth,  epouse  de  M.  Lee, 
proprietaire,  et  Joseph  Bienaime,  Medecin.  Mesdames  Ken- 
nedy et  Lee  sont  assez  riches.  Joseph  a  des  bien  considerable, 
les  autres  sont  pauvres.  lis  demeurent  tous  en  la  Caroline  du 
Sud — et  la  plupart  a  Longcane. 

It  faut  que  je  vous  disc  ce  que  je  suis  car  mon  nom  vous  est 
probablement  inconnu.  Je  suis  petit  fils  de  M.  Jean  Louis 
Gibert.  II  a  laisse  trois  enfans  et  je  suis  fils  de  Louise  la  plus 
agee.  Ma  chere  mere  est  morte  il  y'a  un  an,  a  I'age  de  59  ans. 
Nous  somnes  neuf  enfans  4  garcons  et  5  filles.  II  n'y  a  pas 
d'autres  descendans  de  mon  grandpere.  Personne  de  tous  les 
colon  qui  I'a  ont  accompagne  a  Longcane  n'a  survivre  mais 
il  y  a  un  nombre  considerable  de  leur  descendans.  II  se  sont 
mele  avec  les  autre  habitants  et  ils  sont  a  peu  pres  perdu  I'usage 
de  la  langue  francaise.  Trois  personnes  demeurant  a  Charleston, 
sont  les  seul  vivant  de  ceu  qui  emigre  avec  mon  grandpere.  Ce 
sont  M.  Thomas,  M.  Sabeau  and  Mad.  Belot. 

*Nephew  of  the  Pastor  and  first  cousin  of  the  mother  of  Mr.  Petigru. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  13 

J'ai  toujoLirs  eu  pour  la  memoire  de  mon  grandpere  la  plus 
grande  veneration,  et  pour  les  parens  de  ma  mere  un  sentiment 
tres  sincere.  Je  serais  tres  reconnaissant  si  vous  vouliez  me 
donner  des  renseignements  sur  I'histoire  de  la  famille  et  la  situ- 
ation dans  la  quelle  elle  est  a  present.  Y-a-t-il  beaucoup  de 
personnes  du  nom  de  Gibert?  Dans  quelle  partie  de  la  PVance 
demeurent-ils?  Viennent-ils  tous  a  I'eglise  reformee?  La  famille 
fournit-elle  a  present  quelque  ministre  pour  la  chaise?  M. 
Etienne  Gibert  de  Londres  a-t-il  laisse  des  enfans?  Et  que  sont- 
ils  ils  devenus.'* 

Sans  avoir  precisement  appris  la  langue  francaise,  car  ma  mere 
ayant  epouse  un  americain  ellene  parlait  que  1 'anglais  dans  la 
famille  je  la  lis  assez  courannment — Je  suis  avocat  et  demeure  a 
Charleston.  Je  serais  tres  oblige  a  celui  de  mes  parens  en  France 
qui  me  serait  I'honneur  de  m'ecrire,  et  je  repondrai  toujours  avec 
plaisir  a  vos  lettres,  si  jeupuis  vous  engager  a  renouveller  la 
correspondence  qui  a  ete  si  long  temps  interrompue  entre  ceux 
de  la  meme  souche  qui  sont  separe  par  la  mer. 

J'ai  I'honneur  d'etre 

Monsieur 
Votre  tres  humble  serviteur 
Mons: 

M.  Elie  Gibert  ayant  direge  qu'on  lui  ecrivit  au  dessous  de 
votre  adresse  j'ai  puis  la  liberte  de  vous  envoyer  I'encloa;  et  vous 
recevrez  les  remerciements  d'un  etranger,  de  I'expedier  a  lui,  si 
vivant,  mais  s'il  n'est  plus,  de  le  remettre  a  I'aine  de  la  famille. 


14  ^(/^>  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  III 

The  Pastor's  Children 

The  Pastor  left  three  children — Louise  Guy,  six  years  old, 
who  became  the  mother  of  J.  L.  Petigru;  Joseph,  two  years  old, 
who  died  a  bachelor,  and  Jeanne,  who  afterwards  married 
Thomas  Finley,  and  died  about  1795. 

However  unfortunate  the  Pastor's  loss  may  have  been  to  the 
colony  it  was  still  more  so  to  his  family.  The  widow,  unable  to 
contend  with  her  difficulties  in  the  country,  removed  to  Charles- 
ton with  her  three  children.  In  a  year  or  two  she  married  Pierre 
Engevine.  He  was  born  in  1727,  at  Bordeaux,  served  his  clerkship 
at  Rotterdam,  and,  after  wandering  over  much  of  Europe  and 
America,  finally  settled  as  a  merchant  in  Charleston.  The  wife 
died  in  1783,  and  is  said  to  be  buried  under  the  Huguenot  church 
in  Charleston. 

Pierre  Engevine  then  retired  from  business  and  moved  to 
Abbeville  with  the  three  small  children.  The  Pastor's  house 
having  been  burned  during  the  Revolution,  he  selected  a  location 
about  one  half  mile  east  along  the  same  ridge,  a  more  suitable 
site  for  a  settlement,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  there  was  a  spring. 
This  place  is  subsequently  referred  to  as  "  Badwell. " 

The  boy,  Joseph  Gibert,  was  apprenticed  to  a  saddler  by  Enge- 
vine; but  the  lad  was  proud,  sensitive  and  aspiring,  and  his  spirit 
revolted  at  what  he  thought  a  descent  from  his  father's  station 
in  life.  During  his  apprenticeship  he  found  time  to  study  medi- 
cine, and  at  its  termination  took  the  degree  of  M.  D. 

To  obtain  the  satisfaction  of  a  gentleman  for  the  inconsiderate 
treatment  of  Engevine,  he  challenged  him,  on  his  return  home,  to 
fight  a  duel  with  broad  swords.  The  affair  was  with  difficulty 
arranged  by  the  intervention  of  the  neighbors. 

However,  he  allowed  Engevine  a  home  on  the  property,  where 
he  died  and  was  buried,  and  has  given  his  name  to  one  of  the 
tributaries  of  Buffalo  Creek. 

Engevine  died  January  28,  1805,  and  was  buried  in  the  family 
cemetery,  near  the  grave  of  the  Pastor. 


James  Louis  Petigru  15 

On  his  tombstone  there  is  inscribed: 

His  memory  is  endeared  to  the  grandchildren  of 
his  wife  by  every  recollection  of  the  affectionate 
intercourse  of  childhood  with  a  venerable  and  cheer- 
ful friend. 

The  two  girls,  Louise  Guy  and  Jeanne  Gibert,  grew  up  on  the 
farm  at  Badwell  in  practical  seclusion,  with  only  such  education 
and  instruction  as  the  affection  and  care  of  Mr.  Engevine  could 
bestow. 

The  following  description  of  Louise,  the  elder,  has  been  pre- 
served and  given  in  Grayson's  Memoir: 

A  brunette  with  smooth  delicate  skin,  soft  hazel  eyes,  dark 
brown  hair,  well  rounded  figure  of  medium  height,  with  beauti- 
fully formed  arms,  hands  and  feet.  She  was  beloved  by  all  the 
people,  and  the  old  surviving  Colonists  enthusiastically  spoke  of 
the  Pastor's  daughter,  as  being  very  beautiful  and  as  good  as 
she  was  beautiful.  She  was  profoundly  religious  and  combined 
modesty,  dignity  and  sweetness  of  temper  with  a  firmness  of 
purpose,  which  commanded  both  affection  and  respect.  She 
attended  to  the  household  affairs  and  her  nature  was  well  fitted 
to  the  task. 

William  Pettigrew  lived  on  his  farm  fifteen  miles  distant.  He 
possessed  many  amiable  qualities;  he  was  witty,  gay,  generous 
and  social,  combining  a  love  of  horse-racing  and  sport  with  a 
love  of  poetry  and  books.  Without  much  training  he  selected 
with  intuitive  judgment  the  standard  authors  of  the  day,  which 
he  read  for  both  amusement  and  instruction.  On  the  other  hand 
he  was  impulsive  and  reckless,  lacked  foresight,  perseverance  and 
the  ordinary  commercial  instincts. 

This  charming  girl,  Louise  Gibert,  then  twenty  years  old,  and 
the  Hvely  and  impulsive  William  Pettigrew  accidentally  met. 
They  fell  in  love,  were  married  in  1788,  and  went  to  his  farm 
in  the  Flat  Woods  on  Little  River. 

During  William  Pettigrew's  bachelor  days  there  lived  with 
him  his  friend  Tom  Finley,  who  owned  a  neighboring  farm. 
The  two  intimates  were  entirely  dissimilar  in  character;  they 
agreed  thoroughly  only  in  the  love  of  books.  Finley  was  cold 
and  reserved,  fond  of  disputation  and  excelling  in  it;  without 
wit  or  humor,  but  admiring  it  in  others;  not  loving  money,  but 
not  regardless  of  it;  skilful  enough  in  his  management  of  affairs, 


16  ^(A",  Letters  and  Speeches 

but  not  too  eager  in  their  pursuit.  After  William  Pettigrew's 
marriage  Finley  continued  to  be  an  inmate  of  the  house.  Jeanne 
Gibert,  Louise's  younger  sister,  was  a  constant  visitor.  Finley 
was  attracted  by  her  appearance,  and,  after  a  short  acquaint- 
ance, they  were  married.  Finley's  farm  was  quite  near  and  the 
two  households  were  intimate  neighbors.  But  this  happy  inter- 
course was  of  short  duration.  Mrs.  Finley  died  in  1795,  the 
third  year  after  her  marriage,  leaving  her  son  Louis  to  her  sis- 
ter's care.  He  entered  South  Carolina  College  in  the  Class  of 
18L3  and  bade  fair  to  obtain  its  highest  honors,  when,  after  a 
short  illness  in  his  junior  year,  he  died.  He  was  a  youth  of  most 
brilliant  promise  and  most  popular  among  his  classmates,  who 
erected  over  his  remains  a  monument  in  Elmwood  Cemetery 
at  Columbia,  S.  C. 


James  Louis  Petigru  17 


CHAPTER  IV 

Childhood;  The  Farm  at  Badwell 

The  first  few  years  after  his  marriage,  William  Pettigrew  led 
a  happy,  easy-going  life,  devoting  himself  to  his  hunting,  fishing 
and  horse-racing  more  than  he  did  to  the  care  of  his  farm.  After 
a  time  the  farm  was  sold  for  debt.  In  1800  he  removed  to  Bad- 
well,  the  home  of  his  wife's  brother.  Dr.  Joseph  Gibert  wel- 
comed his  sister  and  her  four  small  children  to  the  homestead. 
He  wished  his  sister  to  separate  from  William,  on  the  ground 
that  he  could  not  provide  for  her  wants;  but  to  this  she  would  not 
consent. 

The  virtues  of  the  gentle  Joseph  Gibert  are  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing epitaph  on  his  tombstone  at  Badwell  Cemetery: 

John  Joseph  Gibert 

Son  ot 
The  Reverend  Jean  Louis  Gibert  and  Isabeau  Boutiton,  his  wife 
In  his  third  year  he  lost  his  father  and  in  his  thirteenth  his 

mother 

These  early  privations  not  to  be  compensated 

Swept  away  the  hopes  that  dawned  on  his  infancy 

Disappointment  also  marked  the  progress  of  succeeding  years 

But  from  limited  resources 

He  spared  the  means  to  lay  the  foundation 

for  the  education  of  his  nephew 

James  Louis  Petigru 

who  in  grateful  acknowledgment 

of  what  he  owes  to  such  a  benefactor 

Places  this  stone  to  his  memory 

Born  on  this  hill  and  near  it 

died  at  Badwell,  1 8th,  November  1817 

Aged  46  years. 

William  Pettigrew  had  a  select  library  of  English  classics, 
among  which  Dryden  and  Pope  were  his  favorites.     He  enjoved 


18  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

without  measure  every  passage  of  wit  and  humor  that  appeared 
in  his  favorite  authors.  In  teaching  his  children  to  enjoy  them, 
he  made  them  read  to  each  other,  and  estabhshed  a  rule  in  the 
house  that  one  should  always  read  aloud  while  the  rest  were  at 
work. 

French  was  still  as  much  spoken  as  English  in  that  section 
of  the  country.  William  Pettigrew  came  home  one  evening 
tired  and  moody,  to  find  his  wife  entertaining  an  itinerant 
Frenchman.  For  some  time  at  the  chimney-corner  he  sat 
silent  and  morose.  The  stranger  at  length  endeavored  to  en- 
gage him  in  conversation  with  the  remark: 

"Mais,  Monsieur,  vous  parlez  Frangais?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  other,  "I  speak  no  French  and  very 
little  English." 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1789,  at  the  farm  on  Little  River,  James 
Louis  Petigru  was  born,  the  first  of  eleven  children,  nine  of 
whom  lived  to  maturity.  He  was  a  vigorous  and  promising  boy 
from  his  birth,  the  joy  of  his  young  parents;  and,  from  the  grav- 
ity of  his  countenance  and  invariable  good  humor,  his  grand- 
father, old  Engevine,  predicted  for  him  the  "high-mark." 

At  five  years  of  age,  on  being  taken  to  church  by  his  aunt,  he 
amazed  his  mother  by  repeating,  the  next  day,  almost  the  whole 
sermon,  word  for  word. 

It  was  at  the  age  of  six,  at  the  funeral  of  his  aunt,  Mrs.  Finley, 
that  the  sensibility  and  tenderness  that  marked  his  nature  were 
first  strongly  manifested.  He  wept  at  the  scene  so  long  and  so 
violently  as  to  attract  the  notice  and  concern  of  all  the  attend- 
ants, and  when  the  coffin  was  about  to  be  let  down  in  to  the 
grave,  he  stretched  out  his  arms  to  prevent  it,  with  passionate 
protestations. 

His  friends  thought  him  possessed  of  great  quickness  of  parts, 
but  among  the  neighbors  it  was  the  general  opinion  that  there 
was  something  queer  about  the  boy.  It  was  his  habit  to  throw 
himself  on  the  grass  under  a  tree  with  a  book  and  become 
absorbed  in  his  reading.  He  would  walk  alone  in  the  woods, 
mutter  and  talk  to  himself,  a  habit  which  he  retained  all  his  life, 
and  he  became  irritated  if  he  was  interrupted.  Though  not 
particularly  fond  of  hunting,  he  often  spoke  of  being  able,  with 
a  rifle,  to  hit  a  squirrel  at  the  top  of  the  highest  chestnut  tree,  and 
with  great  delight  he  told  how  bare-footed  he  waded  the  rocky 


James  Louis  Petigru  19 

bottom  of  Buffalo  Creek,  seeking  mussels  for  his  grandfather 
Engevine. 

He  became  an  omnivorous  reader  and  credited  Plutarch's 
Lives  with  giving  him  the  first  impulse  towards  making  of  himself 
something  more  than  the  ordinary  rustic  or  plowman. 

As  a  boy  James  Louis  was  devoted  to  his  mother,  and  loved 
her  from  early  life  with  a  deep  affection  and  was  her  active  assis- 
tant in  the  discharge  of  her  household  duties.  The  cares  of  a 
large  family  often  kept  her  up  to  a  late  hour  at  night,  and  at  this 
time  he  never  went  to  bed  until  she  was  ready  to  go.  He  mended 
the  fire  for  her,  he  talked  with  her,  he  read  to  her,  he  lightened 
her  toil  by  sympathy  and  all  the  active  aid  he  could  manage  to 
give  her.  His  affectionate  nature  was  never  weary  in  its  mani- 
festations of  devotion  and  love  and  the  gentle  mother  fully  appre- 
ciated their  value. 

He  was  eleven  years  of  age  when  the  family  removed  to  Bad- 
well.  He  immediately  began  to  work  on  the  farm  to  the  extent 
of  his  strength,  and  from  the  age  of  thirteen  to  fifteen  he  prac- 
tically conducted  all  the  work.  His  younger  brothers,  nine 
and  eleven  years  old,  worked  with  him,  but  were  not  always  so 
industrious.  Finding  one  of  them  incorrigible,  he  administered  a 
sound  slap,  citing  the  line,  "Such  brutes  and  boys  are  only  ruled 
by  blows." 

During  such  intervals  as  the  condition  of  the  crops  would  al- 
low he  went  to  school.  His  first  teacher  was  a  wandering  Vir- 
ginian from  whom  he  learned  nothing,  and  of  whom  he  remem- 
bered little  more  than  the  "barrings-out"  of  the  master  by  his 
pupils.  He  next  went  to  the  school  of  Charles  Touloon,  an 
Irishman,  who  was  believed  by  his  scholars  to  have  been  a  Catho- 
lic priest  who  had  violated  his  vows  by  contracting  marriage. 
What  was  more  to  the  purpose,  however,  Touloon  knew  Latin 
and  mathematics,  and  his  pupil  always  spoke  of  him  with  regard 
and  respect.  Touloon  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  American  army 
and  died  in  1812.  His  widow  engaged  Mr.  Petigru  to  recover 
her  dowry  in  land,  out  of  which  she  alleged  her  husband  had  been 
swindled.  This  was  probably  one  of  his  first  cases.  Many 
years  after,  in  a  letter  written  in  1839,  he  says,  "I  hav^e  not  got 
Mrs.  Touloon's  money  yet." 

Badwell  occupied  a  large  place  in  Mr.  Petigru's  affections 
throughout  his  entire  lite.     With   the  first  money  he  earned 


20  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

teaching  school  he  built  there  a  house  for  his  mother;  there,  sub- 
sequently, his  sister,  Mrs.  North,  resided,  and  with  various  ad- 
ditions it  became  the  general  hive  of  the  family.  The  house  was 
on  the  side  of  the  hill  and  faced  south.  On  the  opposite  ridge 
there  was  a  fine  grove  of  native  oaks  and  chestnuts.  The  view 
down  the  small  valley  to  the  southwest  showed  some  clay  hills 
scarred  with  gullies  and  in  the  distance  some  stunted  trees.  The 
spot  has  no  charm  but  to  the  eye  of  loving  appreciation.  Mr. 
Petigru  was  indefatigable  in  trying  to  beautify  the  place  which 
to  strangers  had  no  beauty  in  it.  Here  he  loved  to  pass  his  va- 
cations, and  when  he  got  on  his  summer  clothes,  with  most  won- 
derful coat  cut  in  continental  style,  his  face  showed  all  the 
happiness  of  a  small  boy  with  his  first  pair  of  boots;  and  he  would 
immediately  sally  forth  to  the  work  where  he  labored  with  axe, 
pick  or  shovel.  For  over  twenty-five  years  his  letters  show  his 
indomitable  earnestness  and  determination  to  prosecute  his  im- 
provements in  spite  of  innumerable  delays  and  disappointments. 
It  is  estimated  that  his  various  expenditures  on  Badwell  must 
have  been  about  ?2,000  a  year. 

The  first  enterprise  of  Mr.  Petigru  at  Badwell  was  the  effort  to 
obtain  good  water.  According  to  tradition  a  divining  rod  man 
located  a  favorable  spot  for  a  well,  which  being  on  the  top  of  the 
hill  would  require  considerable  depth. 

In  1837  the  well  was  commenced  and  after  passing  through 
fifty-five  feet  of  clay  a  dike  of  green  stone  was  reached  and  a 
moderate  quantity  of  water  was  obtained.  To  get  lining  for 
the  well  a  quarry  was  opened  at  considerable  expense,  but  the 
miners  reported  that  the  granite  was  too  hard  to  work;  so  rock 
was  obtained  elsewhere. 

In  1849  the  water  in  the  well  had  lost  two  feet  in  depth  and 
was  "neither  as  good  nor  as  cold  as  it  had  been."  For  the  next 
few  years  various  "experts"  worked  at  the  well  without  success. 

In  1857  Mr.  Petigru,  by  the  advice  and  assistance  of  his  friend 
Major  Welton,  who  had  sunk  the  artesian  wells  in  Charleston, 
obtained  all  the  appliances  for  sinking  an  artesian  well  and  an 
experienced  operator.  This  man  erected  a  horse  whim  derrick 
and  installed  the  plant.  After  drilling  three  or  four  feet  the  drill 
stuck  and  was  broken  off.  The  following  year  a  second  operator 
was  procured.  After  a  few  weeks  his  drill  also  stuck,  the  screw 
broke,  and  all  efforts  to  extract  it  were  unavailing. 


James  Louis  Petigru  21 

To  encourage  the  men  at  work  on  the  avenue,  the  well,  and 
the  various  enterprises,  Mr.  Petigru  was  accustomed  to  send  up 
each  year  a  barrel  of  whiskey  and  a  barrel  of  ale.  From  bills  of 
1858  it  is  found  out  that  whiskey  cost  45  cents  a  gallon,  or  %\S.1S 
a  barrel,  and  a  cask  of  lager  beer  cost  $18.00.  These  barrels 
were  placed  in  the  storehouse.  Andrew,  the  negro  foreman,  kept 
the  key,  and  was  ever  ready  to  both  give  and  take  a  dram  for  the 
honor  of  the  place. 

In  February,  1861,  Petigru  wrote:  "I  fear  that  our  miners  are 
going  to  make  a  long  job  of  the  well.  The  stone  is  very  hard 
*  *  *  there  is  no  reason  to  give  it  up.  Nothing  must  be 
allowed  to  stop  us  unless  the  water  threatens  to  drown  the  work- 
men by  coming  so  fast.  Keep  them  to  the  point  till  they  get 
through  the  rock.  Bad  well  seems  like  a  hard  road  to  travel;  the 
soil  is  stiff,  and  the  rocks  not  only  hard  but  deep,  and  water  is  not 
to  be  had  without  much  pains  and  endurance." 

Mr.  Petigru's  last  visit  to  Badwell  was  during  August  and 
September,  1862. 

At  this  time  the  well  had  attained  a  depth  of  seventy-one  feet. 
The  last  sixteen  feet  was  driven  through  hard  green  stone  by  the 
German  miners.  Mr.  Petigru  was  unable  to  "go  to  the  other 
side  of  the  rock,"  because  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  powder 
and  fuse.  Fortunately  a  stream  of  good  water  was  struck,  and 
after  25  years  of  struggle  the  well  at  last  maintained  a  depth  of 
eighteen  feet  and  has  done  so  ever  since. 

The  spring  house,  the  sun-dial,  the  white  oak  avenue  and 
the  purchase  of  additional  land  occupied  Petigru's  interest  up 
to  the  year  of  his  death. 

From  Charleston,  July  19,  1842,  he  writes  his  sister,  Mrs.  Jane 
Petigru  North:  "While  your  hand  is  in  I  advise  you  to  have 
a  dairy  of  stone  to  take  in  the  old  spring." 

A  letter  dated  September  30,  1844,  shows  that  he  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  the  spring  should  be  inclosed  in  a  granite 
basin,  or  what  he  called  a  "fountain,"  and  a  house  erected.  On 
September  7,  1850,  he  writes:  "The  fountain  and  the  avenue 
I  will  never  resign.  I  beg  you  to  make  no  arrangements  that 
do  not  look  to  them  as  the  great  works  of  the  place."  The  date 
over  the  door  shows  "  1851." 

June  29,  1852,  he  writes:  "Your  last  letter  gave  me  real  pleas- 
ure.    That  the  fountain  is  in  operation  and  does  not  disappoint 


22  J^ijs-i  Letters  and  Speeches 

our  expectations  is  something  to  console  one  for  many  disap- 
pointments, and  the  failure  of  the  acorns  and  magnolias  is  not 
a  small  one." 

On  July  24,  1845,  he  wrote:  "It  has  occurred  to  me  that  there 
is  a  great  defect  in  the  absence  of  a  dial  in  the  country.  Do 
make  Shannon  get  out  a  piece  of  granite  about  two  feet  square, 
and  at  least  three  feet  high  above  ground.  I  will  get  the  dial 
while  in  the  North." 

Four  years  later  a  plinth  of  granite,  nicely  bush  hammered, 
fourteen  inches  square  and  three  feet  above  the  ground  was  ob- 
tained. In  the  autumn  of  1849  James  Johnston  Pettigrew, 
Petigru's  cousin,  by  employing  plumb  bobs  and  sighting  on  the 
north  star  in  the  usual  method,  adjusted  the  gnomon  to  the  true 
north.     It  still  remains  at  Badwell. 

In  1843,  though  then  heavily  in  debt,  Mr.  Petigru  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  an  avenue  of  white  oaks  for  the  decoration 
of  Badwell  and  as  a  memorial  to  himself.  His  letters  for  the 
next  twenty  years  show  how,  in  the  face  of  many  disappoint- 
ments, he  earnestly  carried  on  the  enterprise. 

The  avenue  was  perfectly  straight  and  extended  for  a  mile. 
Trees  were  planted  on  either  side  fifty  feet  apart;  the  roadway 
was  thirty  feet  wide,  and  as  it  was  free  from  rock,  and  the  greater 
portion  level,  it  was  only  necessary  to  ditch,  remove  roots  and 
boulders,  and  surface  up.  Although  the  roadbed  was  of  clay, 
being  well  drained,  it  answered  all  the  conditions  which  the  traffic 
required.  In  the  course  of  three  years  it  was  completed;  and 
as  it  advanced  men  were  employed  to  transplant  white  oaks  ob- 
tained from  the  woods,  and  where  the  ground  was  suitable  laurel 
oaks,  red  oaks  and  willow  oaks.  Minute  directions  were  given 
as  to  these  operations,  but  many  of  the  trees  failed  because  they 
were  suffering  from  injuries  before  they  were  transplanted. 

In  November,  1846,  he  engaged  an  Englishman  to  plant  the 
avenue. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRLf  NORTH 

5th  January,  1847. 
I  do  not  believe  that  you  and  Mary  will  like  my  sending  up  a 
gardener  to  plant  more  trees.  But  consider  that  it  is  my  weak- 
ness, and  the  very  thing,  therefore,  on  which  I  need  indulgence. 
Besides,  if  you  wish  Badwell  to  possess  attractions  for  me  over 
and  above  what  I  feel  in  your  affection,  nothing  is  so  sure  to  lead 


James  Louis  Petigru  23 

me  there  as  the  desire  of  seeing  my  trees.  Therefore,  my  dear 
child  and  children,  I  do  hope  you  will  admit  Mr.  Barclay,  a 
Scotch  gardener,  recommended  by  Bainbrook,  to  the  privileges 
of  the  kitchen  and  set  him  at  work.  I  think  old  Tom  will  be  a 
sufficient  help  for  him,  and  if  you  can  spare  Andrew  sometimes, 
that  he  may  catch  something  of  the  art,  I  would  be  glad.  For, 
really,  the  planting  business  is  expensive,  and  we  ought  to  know 
of  it  ourselves  by  this  time.  But  by  no  means  let  Guilfoyle  go 
near  the  trees.     I  believe  they  would  perish  if  he  looked  at  them. 

He  repeats  his  directions  as  to  planting,  adding  "not  only  to 
make  the  holes  large  but  to  supply  plenty  of  rich  mould  and  to 
pour  in  at  planting  a  great  deal  of  water";  also  directs  "old  Tom 
to  gather  acorns  of  white  oaks  to  be  placed  in  a  tub  with  moist 
sand  and  kept  in  a  warm  place  for  planting  in  the  spring. " 

In  September,  1851,  he  says:  "The  loss  of  the  crop  is  a  great 
trial  and  also  the  loss  of  my  white  oaks,  but  we  will  buy  corn  in 
Augusta  and  forget  the  crop  that  was  lost.  In  setting  out  an 
avenue  at  the  age  of  60  the  loss  of  a  year  is  almost  irreparable. " 

January  8,  1852:  "Cause  the  acorns  to  be  planted  at  once. 
They  are  to  be  put  in  the  ground  a  foot  apart  with  the  point 
uppermost.  I  was  wrong  to  think  of  putting  it  off  till  March. 
Let  this  matter  claim  your  special  attention,  my  sister.  You 
know  that  we  no  longer  enjoy  the  privilege  of  the  patriarchs,  who 
could  see  the  trees  they  planted  at  100  attain  their  full  growth. 
So  contracted,  indeed,  is  the  space  of  modern  existence  that  un- 
less these  acorns  are  put  in  the  ground  at  once  there  is  great 
chance  of  their  being  too  late  for  me." 

A  portion  of  the  nursery  planted  at  this  time  is  now  a  beautiful 
grove  of  white  oaks,  as  straight  as  saplings,  and  some  of  the  trees 
over  two  feet  in  diameter. 

January  29,  1852,  he  says:  "Do  not  allow  the  little  nigs  to  for- 
get that  their  hands  were  given  them  principally  for  the  purpose 
of  pulling  weeds;  and  my  dear  sister  let  not  those  odious  gullies, 
which  I  was  so  anxious  to  fill  with  fascines,  deform  the  side  of  the 
hill,  nor  suffer  the  terrace  to  go  to  decay." 

In  July,  1852,  he  sends  two  "Cedars  of  Lebanon"  with  in- 
structions for  planting;  he  had  set  out  some  live  oaks,  and  says, 
"I  hear  nothing  of  the  live  oaks;  I  hope  they  are  still  in  the  land 
of  the  living,  and  that  this  disappointment  with  the  fountain  is 
the  chief  mortification  that  I  will  have  to  endure  in  respect  with 
my  Badwell  speculations." 


24  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

November  8,  1853:  "Though  your  letter  does  not  give  a  very 
flattering  view  of  the  crop,  it  contains  assurances  much  more 
agreeable  of  the  fine  plantation  of  acorns  that  Daddy  Tom  has 
set  out.  I  hope  we  will  live,  some  of  us,  to  bask  in  the  shade  of 
the  trees.  You  must  not  be  too  exacting  nor  expect  from  Rodg- 
ers  more  than  is  suitable  to  his  degree.  And  when  a  person  that 
we  pay  falls  short  it  is  well  to  consider  how  much  worse  he  might 
have  been." 

February  27,  1855:  "I  am  glad  that  you  planted  the  pine 
mast  and  hope  some  will  come  up.  But,  my  dear  Jane,  above 
all  things,  mind  my  nursery  of  oaks.  They  need  manure;  let 
everything  give  way  to  them.  No  matter  if  you  lose  the  crop — 
let  us  secure  the  fruits  of  the  acorn.  Those  in  the  garden  re- 
quire manure  as  much  as  any.  Now  do,  my  dear,  don't  be 
stingy,  but  spare  labor  and  time  to  apply  the  proper  remedy 
against  the  poverty  with  which  they  are  threatened.  *  *  * 
I  am  sorry  Magrath  has  planted  no  trees.  I  wish  somebody 
would  think  of  earning  a  little  money  that  way.  I  would  pay 
willingly  if  it  was  for  only  one." 

TO    MRS.   JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

Charleston,  S.  C,  June  16,  1856. 
My  Dear  Jane: 

For  tho'  I  have  had  a  bad  cold  and  the  worst  cough  that  ever 
laid  siege  to  my  poor  tenement,  yet  for  much  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  I  have  been  mending;  nor  have  my  interruptions  or 
troubles  excused  the  ordinary  feelings  and  bother  that  I  am  used 
to.  Perhaps  more  is  due  to  the  said  contents  of  that  letter — 
the  depressing  news  of  the  destruction  of  those  trees  that  had 
been  reared  at  so  much  pains  and  cost  and  were  regarded  with 
such  pride  as  the  future  memorials  of  our  time.  That  fire  has 
caused  me  much  grief  and  it  ought  to  suffuse  a  blush  of  shame 
on  the  sable  cheek  of  every  man  and  woman  of  the  Badwell  tribe. 
Nothing  is  left  now  but  to  press  the  growth  of  the  seedlings  in 
the  garden  and  the  patch,  and  give  them  manure  and  loosen 
the  ground.  Unless  this  is  done  I  fear  neither  Daddy  Tom  nor 
I  will  live  to  see  the  avenue  protected  by  their  foliage  at  midday 
from  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

It  is  unfortunate  for  Felix  that  his  character  suffers  by  this 
casualty,  whether  justly  or  not.  I  hope  he  has  had  one  flogging 
and  if  I  was  sure  it  should  prevent  all  such  accidents  for  the 

future  I  would  give  him  another  as  soon  as  I  got  to  Badwell. 

*     *     * 


White  Oak  Avkm  e" 


(Facing  24) 


James  Louis  Petigru  25 

TO    MRS.    JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

December  23,  1856. 

This  missive  will  be  handed  to  you  by  Richard  Ready,  a  native 
of  Dublin,  bred,  as  he  says,  to  landscape  gardening.  Now,  I 
know  you  will  hate  to  see  him.  I  admit  it  is  an  annoyance  to 
you  and  to  Aunt  Mary  and  to  Minny,  too,  I  dare  say.  But  my 
sisters  and  children,  you  must  take  the  bitter  with  the  sweet.  I 
know  you  like  to  have  your  brother  and  uncle  with  you  at  times 
and  this  is  the  price  you  pay  tor  his  company.  If  the  avenue 
were  abandoned,  though  I  will  not  say  that  the  place  would  have 
no  interest  to  me  (for,  while  you  were  there  that  could  not  be), 
yet,  it  is  certain  that  one  great  attraction  would  be  removed. 
Submit,  therefore,  to  the  condition  that  is  laid  upon  your  fra- 
ternal and  filial  affection,  and  give  Richard  Ready  a  friendly 
reception  and  set  him  to  work  with  Guilfoyle  and  one  hand  and 
a  mule  anci  cart  when  needed.     *     *     * 

If  Ready  can  be  accommodated  in  Phil's  house  or  the  over- 
seer's, it  is  well;  if  he  can  not  let  him  be  boarded  at  my  expense. 


Mr.  W.  J.  Grayson  says:  "The  last  letter  I  received  from  him 
was  in  July,  1860,  in  which,  writing  from  Badwell,  he  complains 
of  some  atrocious  mutilations  inflicted  on  certain  over  cup  oaks, 
the  delight  of  his  eye,  by  some  vile  African  who  had  dismembered 
the  oaks  to  promote  the  growth  of  a  negro  patch  of  corn  and 
pumpkins.  He  declares  in  the  language  of  some  Latin  author, 
that  something  monstrous  is  always  produced  by  unhappy 
Africa.  What  rendered  the  outrage  more  intolerable  was  that 
he  attached  the  names  ot  his  friends  to  his  trees,  and  was  form- 
ing of  them  a  sort  of  arboraceous  gallery  of  portraits.  This  tree 
was  Allston,  that  one  Huger;  and  the  black  miscreant  with  an 
axe  as  an  instrument,  had  been  operating  on  the  limbs  of  his 
friends  and  amputating  their  arms  almost  before  his  eyes.  It 
was  at  this  time  that  he  sent  his  servant  Hamlet  from  Abbeville 
to  the  city  to  obtain,  among  other  necessaries,  a  cork  oak  propa- 
gated from  Spanish  acorns  which  I  had  promised  to  give  him. 
It  was  a  hot  dry  week  in  July  that  scorched  everything  growing, 
but  he  trampled  on  impossibilities  in  pursuing  additions  to  his 
avenue." 


26  l^ij^-,  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO    MRS,   JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

Charleston,  December  24,  1860. 
My  Dear  Jane: 

It  is  a  comfort  to  know  *  *  *  that  Tony  has  already 
planted  the  magnolia  seed  and  that  he  will  in  good  time,  do  the 
same  by  the  pine  mast.  The  Parkinsonia,  I  am  afraid,  will  not 
stand  our  cold  winds.  But  the  Cardiospermum  is  a  climber  that 
Prof.  Gibbes  says  is  well-nigh  domesticated  in  our  country;  as 
he  says  he  has  seen  it  growing  by  the  roadside  in  some  places. 


February,  1861 :  "I  am  glad  to  hear  that  the  avenue  is  under 
the  treatment  of  Toney  (Brown).  I  praise  him  and  Jake;  but 
let  them  take  care  that  praise  do  not  turn  to  blame;  as  it  will  do 
if  their  planting  falls  behind  that  of  Marcus  and  Toney  last 
spring.     If  it  equals  it  they  shall  have  praise  and  pudding  too." 

May  14,  1862:  "The  cork  tree  gratifies  me  heartily,  and  I 
hope  it  is  not  the  only  branch  that  is  putting  out  new  leaves. 
Though  you  do  not  mention  it  I  take  it  for  granted  that  Harvey 
applies  the  water  cart  night  and  morning." 

December  15,  1862:  "Harvey  and  Toney  must  not  forget 
that  next  month  it  will  be  time  to  think  of  the  avenue,  and  have 
each  spot  occupied  by  its  own  tree;  the  avenue,  my  only  chance 
of  going  down  to  posterity,  will  hardly  be  finished  in  my  life- 
time." 

February  13,  1863:  "I  hope  the  avenue  is  in  good  hands;  I 
wish  they,  that  is  Harvey,  Titus  and  Toney,  would  set  out  as 
many  layers  as  you  can  get  from  the  morus  multicaulis  in  the 
garden." 

Two  days  before  his  last  visit  to  his  office  he  writes  as  follows: 
"February  13,  1863.  It  is  my  request  that  Titus  and  Toney  set 
out  cuttings  oi morus  multicaulis  as  far  as  they  can." 

The  sentimental  duty  to  buy  back  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of 
Badwell  that  had  once  belonged  to  his  venerated  grandfather, 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Gibert,  grew  to  be  a  mania  with  Mr.  Petigru, 
and  though  still  in  debt  he  would  often  cramp  himself  to  buy 
land. 

In  1847  he  bought  two  small  tracts.  In  1848,  after  much 
negotiation,  he  bought  a  portion  of  the  land  of  Squire  Collier  at 
the  appraised  value  of  $3.00  an  acre.  He  had  a  most  exalted 
idea  of  the  value  of  Abbeville  land,  and  writes:  "It  is  a  sad  sort 


James  Louis  Petigru  27 

of  game  when  one  buys  a  neighbor's  land  for  less  than  it  is  worth, 
for  it  shows  how  his  land  will  go  when  he  is  gone."  In  Febru- 
ary, 1849,  he  paid  to  the  agent  $2,050,  the  purchase  money  for 
his  portion  of  the  land.  He  goes  on  to  say:  "I  think  we  ought 
to  be  very  happy  in  being  able  to  walk  on  our  own  land,  which  is 
recommended  by  the  professors  of  the  healing  art  as  the  most 
wholesome  exercise.  Fifty-one  years  we  have  been  on  Badwell, 
which  when  we  came  was  a  very  small  affair  and  showed  how  the 
stream  of  our  grandfather's  power  had  shrunk  to  contracted 
limits.  And  now  we  have  spread  from  the  road  to  the  river. 
I  wonder  if  another  generation  will  keep  the  ground  that  we 
have  so  toilfully  maintained  for  half  a  century.  But  it  is  not 
probable  that  after  us  anybody  will  care  for  the  local  associations 
that  we  feel  so  strongly.  Yet  we  will  leave  them  some  recol- 
lections of  us  in  the  avenue  and  the  well,  if  nothing  else.  I  am 
afraid  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  I  will  be  able  to  carry  into 
effect  that  dream  of  a  stone  cottage*  on  the  brow  of  the  hill,  for 
the  new  office  will  leave  me  as  poor  as  a  church  mouse.  You 
are  mistaken  in  supposing  that  I  have  got  into  it.  It  will  be 
some  time  yet  before  I  can  say  so." 

*Chapel  and  school  house  on  the  site  of  the  Pastor's  residence. 


28  J^ijs^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  V 

SCHOOL 

There  was  at  this  period  the  academy  of  Dr.  Moses  Waddell 
at  Willington,  ten  miles  from  Badwell,  a  grammar  school  of 
great  eminence  throughout  the  State.*  How  James  Louis  Peti- 
gru  might  be  sent  to  this  school  was  a  subject  of  anxious  consul- 
tation with  the  household.  How  should  the  expense  of  board, 
lodging  and  tuition  be  defrayed;  how  could  the  assistance  of  the 
bread-winner  of  the  farm  be  dispensed  with;  how  would  the  family 
be  able  to  spare  one  who  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  house? 

The  decision  reached  was  the  result  of  a  chance  meeting  with 
Dr.  Waddell  in  1804.  He  was  attending  a  meeting  of  some  kind 
near  Badwell,  when  some  one  attempted  to  relate  to  the  Doctor 
an  event  which  he  had  read  of  in  a  Charleston  paper.  The  nar- 
rator was  making  bungling  work  of  the  story,  when  Petigru,  who 
was  standing  near, said  to  the  Reverend  gentleman,  "Sir,  the 
affair  was  after  this  wise,"  and  went  on  to  tell  the  tale  in  a  clear 
connected  manner  and  in  well-chosen  language.  The  doctor 
was  well  pleased  with  the  performance,  patted  the  lad,  and  said 
to  him,  "If  I  had  you  with  me  I  would  make  a  man  of  you." 

He  was  sent  to  Willington  forthwith.  His  return  home  every 
Friday  evening  was  a  jubilee  to  the  house,  anxiously  looked 
forward  to  by  all  parties,  and  especially  by  the  younger  children. 

A  letter  to  his  daughter,  Caroline  Carson,  fixes  the  date  of  his 
going  to  school: 

TO    CAROLINE    CARSON 

Summerville,  October  14,  1862. 

This  day,  my  dear  Carey,  marks  an  important  epoch  in  my 

life.     This  day  fifty-eight  years  ago,  I  was  received    into    the 

school  at  W' illington,  to  which  I  was  conducted  by  my  poor  Uncle 

Joe,  where  a  Latin  grammar  as  a  substitute  for  the  plough  was 

*Dr.  Waddell,  born  at  Rowan  County,  North  Carolina,  July  29,  1770.  Died 
at  Athens,  Georgia,  July  31,  1840.  For  a  graphic  description  of  Dr.  Waddell's 
school  see  Longstreet's  Romance,  with  too  much  "moral,"  "Master  William 
Mitten." 


James  Louis  Petigru  29 

placed  in  my  hands.  Of  those  who  then  formed  the  busy  occu- 
pants of  Dr.  Waddell's  hive  the  only  survivors  that  I  know  are 
Louis  Gillmer  and  Alexander  Bowie.  Time  has  effected  many 
changes.  A  chapter  of  accidents  has  contained  many  sad  stories 
and  the  last  and  the  saddest,  the  Revolution  now  in  progress. 

Your  Father. 

The  Willington  school  was  a  sort  of  Eton  and  Rughy  of  Ameri- 
can manufacture,  and  the  doctor  at  its  head,  the  Carolina  Dr. 
Arnold.  He  had  great  talents  for  organization  and  governing; 
his  method  appealed  to  the  honor  and  moral  sense  of  the  pupils. 
They  were  notconfined  with  their  books  unnecessarily  in  a  narrow 
schoolroom;  the  forest  was  their  place  of  study;  they  improvised 
shanties  of  brush  where  they  prepared  their  various  lessons;  the 
horn  called  them  at  intervals  to  change  of  occupation,  the  sound 
was  repeated  from  point  to  point  and  the  woods  echoed  with 
those  sonorous  signals  for  recitation  or  retirement.  When  cold 
or  wet  weather  drove  the  students  from  the  woods,  log-cabins 
in  various  quarters  afforded  the  requisite  accommodation.  Their 
food  was  Spartan  in  plainness — corn-bread  and  bacon;  and  for 
lights,  torches  of  pine  were  more  in  fashion  than  candles.  Moni- 
tors regulated  the  classes  and  sub-division  of  classes,  and  pre- 
served the  order  and  discipline  of  the  institution  with  the  small- 
est possible  reference  to  its  head.  It  was  a  kind  of  rural  republic 
with  a  perpetual  dictator.  The  scholars  were  greatly  attached 
to  the  school  and  after  they  had  become  grandfathers  they  yet 
talked  of  it  with  enthusiasm. 

The  school  of  Dr.  Waddell  was  indeed  a  nursery  of  genius 
and  its  reputation  drew  scholars  from  all  parts  of  the  State — 
from  the  mountains,  parishes  and  the  city. 

There  went  in  turn,  Calhoun,  Harper,  the  Wardlaws,  McDuf- 
fie,  Legare,  Grayson,  Longstreet,  and  a  host  of  other  lesser 
lights. 

The  shy  and  awkward  boy  met  with  little  favor  from  the 
master.  The  rustic  appearance  of  the  new  scholar  was  a  subject 
of  remark  with  the  young  patricians,  the  wearers  of  broad  cloth 
and  fine  linen.  They  attacked  the  stranger  in  home-spun  with 
annoyances  which  school-boy  malice  or  mischief  so  promptly 
supplies.  James's  first  experience  of  school  life  was  painful 
enough;  he  found  he  must  beat  his  competitors  with  both  head 
and  fist;  but  endowed  with  an  uncommon  strength  of  body  as 


30  I-'iJe^  Letters  and  Speeches 

well  as  intellect,  he  soon  established  his  position.  The  new-comer 
was  driven  from  the  open  places  of  resort  by  the  devices  of 
his  companions.  It  was  a  great  trouble  to  his  social  and  cordial 
nature,  and  with  a  heavy  heart  he  retreated  to  one  of  the  huts 
where  he  applied  himself  to  his  grammar.  Presently  he  felt  a 
smart  as  if  something  had  stung  him.  He  sprang  from  his  seat 
and  found  that  one  of  his  tormentors,  a  boy  named  Ramsey, 
from  Beaufort  district,  had  inserted  through  the  opening  of  the 
log-cabin  a  long  stick  burning  at  one  end  and  applied  it  to  the 
seat  of  his  trousers.  This  was  too  much;  the  book  was  thrown 
to  the  ground  and  the  injured  party  rushed  on  his  assailant;  a 
desperate  fight  ensued  in  which  after  a  severe  struggle  the  offender 
was  beaten.  The  next  day  a  court  of  sessions  was  held  in  the 
school-room.  The  rules  of  the  institution  prohibited  fighting. 
Its  rights  had  been  violated  and  the  two  boys  were  ranged  before 
the  Doctor  to  show  cause  why  they  should  not  be  punished  for 
their  infraction  of  the  law  and  their  contempt  for  authority. 
The  persecuted  party  told  his  story  fairly  and  manfully.  He 
had  a  talent  for  stating  a  case;  he  mentioned  his  provocations, 
his  forbearance,  his  efforts  to  avoid  the  wrongs  to  which  he  had 
been  subjected  and  the  final  injury  which  had  exasperated  him 
beyond  all  self-control.  The  defeated  culprit  had  nothing  to 
say.  The  reverend  judge  inflicted  the  same  punishment  on  both 
boys  with  the  most  scrupulous  exactness — the  wrongdoer  and 
the  wronged  fared  alike.  Petigru  felt  the  injustice  far  more  than 
he  did  the  punishment  and  ever  afterwards  referred  to  it  with 
emotion.  It  was  an  offence,  not  so  much  against  him,  as  against 
the  cardinal  virtue  of  justice  which  he  revered  all  his  life.  The 
effect  of  his  manly  conduct  throughout  the  adventure  had  the 
result  of  placing  him  in  the  school  in  his  proper  position,  and  his 
assiduity  and  his  ability  secured  a  place  speedily  in  the  highest 
rank. 

Dr.  Waddell,  though  a  rigid  dominie  of  the  old  school,  was 
nevertheless  sufficient  of  a  courtier  to  wish  his  rich  birds  to  make 
the  finest  showing,  and  was  proportionately  provoked  when  his 
eaglets  would  soar  up  from  out  of  the  homespun  ranks,  as  most 
of  them  did. 

On  a  great  day  of  exhibition,  when  all  the  patrons  of  the  school 
were  assembled,  and  James  was  quite  overlooked,  when  the  read- 
ing came  to  his  turn,  he  pronounced  very  deliberately  that  there 


James  Louis  Petigru  31 

was  a  word  wrong  in  the  text — there  was  a  fault  in  the  Latin; 
Cicero  never  wrote  it  so.  Dr.  Waddell  stormed  and  the  boys 
scoffed,  but  James  stood  to  his  assertion.  Another  edition  of 
Cicero  was  at  last  brought  out  and  the  boy  was  proved  to  be 
correct.  From  that  day  the  school  treated  him  with  great  respect 
and  Dr.  Waddell  began  to  pride  himself  upon  his  pupil. 

That  his  attainments  were  remarkable  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  the  master  of  the  school  proposed  to  him  that  at  the 
end  of  three  years  he  should  take  the  place  of  the  assistant  teacher. 

When  Mr.  Petigru  was  married  in  1816,  Dr.  Waddell  per- 
formed the  ceremony.  He  always  treated  his  old  tyrant  with 
every  respect  and  the  old  man  came  to  believe  that  he  had  been 
the  most  affectionate  and  wisest  of  masters.  When  he  died  Mr. 
Petigru  was  invited  to  deliver  a  eulogy  upon  him.  This  he  did, 
with  a  mixture  of  quiet  humor  and  pathos  most  interesting;  but 
on  account  of  his  emotion  he  could  not  continue  to  the  end.  A 
further  tribute  to  his  old  teacher  was  paid  by  Mr.  Petigru  in 
closing  an  oration  delivered  before  the  Phi  Kappa  and  Demos- 
thenian  Societies  of  the  University  of  Georgia,  August  6,  1846: 

Let  him  therefore,  my  young  friends,  that  would  show  that 
his  mind  is  indeed  imbued  with  the  sentiments  which  a  liberal 
education  should  inspire,  be  worthy  of  the  civilization  ot  the  age, 
and  seek  to  extend  its  benefits.  Let  a  spirit  of  benevolence 
govern  his  aspirations,  and  reserve  his  admiration  for  the  bene- 
factors, not  the  destroyers,  of  mankind.  And  in  choosing  his 
walk  in  life,  let  him  so  cultivate  his  mind  as  if  private  life  was  to 
be  his  destiny,  and  accept  of  promotion  or  office,  as  accidents. 

Nor  can  I  dismiss  this  topic,  without  recalling  the  virtues  of 
one,  whose  life  exemplified  his  doctrine,  and  who  taught  what 
the  wisest  and  best  of  men  in  every  age  have  inculcated.  It  is 
not  without  emotion  that  I  reflect  that  my  venerable  master 
long  presided  over  this  institution;  and  my  mind  delights  to 
recall  him  as  he  was  in  days  long  past,  the  example  of  a  con- 
scientious laborer  in  the  cause  of  truth  and  education.  The 
civilization  of  his  age  and  country  may  be  said,  in  some  degree, 
to  be  indebted  to  him,  for  he  carried  the  lamp  of  learning  to  a 
distance  from  the  crowded  seats  of  men,  and  exerted  an  influence 
in  favor  of  education  that  was  widely  felt.  A  devout  minister 
of  religion,  he  extended  its  benefits  to  the  poor;  a  priest  without 
avarice  or  ambition,  he  fed  his  Master's  sheep  with  no  mercen- 
ary hand;  kind,  without  weakness;  devoted  to  learning,  but 
still  more  devoted  to  virtue — he  trained  his  pupils  to  place  the 
pride  of  intellect  far  below  the  value  of  moral  sensibility. 


32  l^if^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

To  the  virtues  that  he  taught  and  the  discipHne  acquired  in 
his  school,  are  many  indebted;  and  some  there  are,  whose  hearts 
will  not  receive,  unmoved,  the  impression  of  his  name,  when  the 
cause  of  education  and  the  mild  dignity  of  private  life  recall  the 
memory  of  Moses  Waddell. 


James  Louis  Petigru  33 


CHAPTER  VI 

College 

In  December,  1806,  James  Louis  Petigru  entered  as  a  sopho- 
more at  the  South  Carolina  College.  His  class  graduated  in 
1809,  being  the  fourth  class  to  graduate  since  the  opening  of  the 
College  in  January,  1805.  At  that  time  the  buildings  had  not 
been  completed,  nor  the  walls,  which  for  many  years  after  sur- 
rounded the  college  campus.  The  first  president  was  the  Rev- 
erend Jonathan  Maxey,  a  Baptist  preacher,  a  native  of  Attleboro, 
Mass.,  who  had  been  president  of  Brown  University  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

To  enable  James  to  go  to  college  a  part  of  the  funds  was  fur- 
nished by  his  uncle,  Joseph  Gibert,  but  the  larger  portion  he 
borrowed  himself  from  his  neighbor,  "Squire"  Collier.  From 
his  first  earnings  as  a  schoolmaster  he  repaid  the  debt,  but  having 
sent  the  money  by  mail  it  was  lost  and  it  had  to  be  paid  the 
second  time.  The  "Squire"  died  in  1845,  when  Petigru  was 
at  the  height  of  his  reputation.  He  placed  a  handsome  marble 
slab  over  the  remains,  with  a  most  appropriate  and  beautifully 
simple  inscription: 

H.  S.  E. 

Edward  Collier 

A  native  of  Lunenburg,  Virginia 

Once  Master  of  these  Acres 

Son  of  Cornelius  Collier  and  Elizabeth  Wyatt 

Of  five  sons  they  gave  two 

To  the  Noble  Army  of  Independence 

Wyatt  who  fell  at  Eutaw  and 

James  a  gallant  rider  in   Pulaski's  troop 

To  the  memory  of  the  honest  Man 

Careful  of  his  own 

Without  infringing  on  others 

Of  mild  temper  and  sterling  courage 

A  Humane  Master  and 

A  Good  Neighbour 

This  stone  is  inscribed 

Bv  a  Neighbour 

Nat.  Julv       1765 

Obt.  May  7th,  1845 


34  ^(/^,  Letters  and  Speeches 

In  order  to  obtain  further  means  necessary  for  his  support 
Petigru  secured  a  position  as  teacher  in  the  Columbia  Academy, 
for  which  reason  he  was  permitted  to  live  outside  the  College 
grounds.  Even  thus  he  was  forced  to  practice  the  greatest  econ- 
omy. Eating  but  one  meal  a  day,  he  was  barely  able  to  supply 
himself  with  books  and  clothing  during  the  college  term.  The 
narrowness  of  his  circumstances  forced  him  to  decline  more  than 
one  hospitable  invitation,  a  sacrifice  especially  severe  to  one  of 
his  genial  nature  and  joyous  temperament. 

The  Academy  became  one  of  the  land-marks  at  Columbia, 
and  this  old  dilapidated  building,  surrounded  by  grand  elm  trees, 
was  in  after  days  with  pride  pointed  out  by  the  citizens  of  Colum- 
bia as  the  place  where  James  Louis  Petigru  taught  school.  It 
was  torn  down  a  few  years  ago. 

He  read  with  the  greatest  rapidity,  his  eye  being  able  to  take 
in  a  whole  page  at  a  glance;  he  devoted  himself  to  his  studies; 
nor  did  he  confine  himself  to  the  college  curriculum — the  whole 
range  of  literature  and  belles-lettres  engaged  his  attention.  The 
classical  poets  were  with  him  as  household  words,  and  an  ex- 
traordinary memory  enabled  him  often  to  quote  the  minor  poets 
which  he  had  not  read  since  boyhood.  Plutarch  was  always  an 
intimate  friend,  and  he  would  often  jokingly  credit  the  clever 
old  Beoetian  for  some  ingenious  invention  of  his  own. 

Grayson  speaks  of  the  entire  night  spent  by  them  both  in  the 
keen  enjoyment  of  the  wit  of  Rabelais.  James  was  especially 
fond  of  poetry;  his  taste  was  formed  between  the  works  of  Dry- 
den  and  Pope  and  he  was  ever  ready  with  an  apt  quotation. 
He  resented  the  fashion  of  decrying  the  old  English  classics. 

One  of  his  fellow-students  in  the  room  adjoining  wrote  some 
verses  disparaging  Pope  and  left  them  on  the  table.  Petigru 
found  the  criticism  where  it  was  lying,  and  forthwith  wrote  his 
comment  on  the  poet's  performance  in  corresponding  verse. 

Grayson  gives  it  from  memory  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  half 

a  century: 

"Pity  that  scribblers  should  aspire 

To  write  of  Pope  without  his  fire; 

To  criticise  in  witless  lines, 

The  wit  in  every  page  that  shines; 

To  chide,  in  verses  dull  and  tame, 

The  poet's  verse  of  endless  fame; 

His  taste  assail  in  tasteless  strains, 

And  earn  a  Dunciad  for  their  pains." 


James  Louis  Petigrii  35 

He  formed  no  bad  habits  at  college  and  he  would  neither  chew 
nor  smoke  tobacco.  In  later  life,  when  describing  the  gradual 
fall  of  a  young  man,  he  would  say,  "He  would  go  to  the  country- 
shop  instead  of  ploughing,  sit  on  a  dry  box  whittling  a  stick  and 
talk  gossip  and  politics,  and  finally  he  would  take  to  smoking  a 
pipe."  This  seemed  to  him  the  abyss  of  degradation.  How- 
ever, in  later  life  he  took  kindly  to  the  gentlemanly  vice  of  taking 
snuff,  a  habit  which  gradually  grew  upon  him. 

He  had  no  taste  for  active  sports  or  exercises  and  was  unwilling 
to  waste  time  in  their  pursuit.  This  did  not  proceed  from  want 
of  alertness  or  vigor,  for  he  was  an  exceedingly  strong  and  active 
man. 

There  were  two  qualities  in  which  he  was  absolutely  deficient: 
an  eye  for  color  and  an  ear  for  music.  He  was  exceedingly  am- 
bitious to  excel  in  the  accomplishment  of  dancing  but  his  success 
bore  no  proportion  to  his  efforts.  His  mode  of  dancing,  like  his 
mode  of  talking  and  acting,  was  peculiar  to  himself  and  was 
sometimes  very  much  more  hearty  and  original  than  graceful, 
so  that  it  forced  a  smile  from  the  ladies  who  danced  with  him. 

He  graduated  in  December,  1809,  at  the  age  of  twenty  and 
received  the  first  honors  in  his  class.  To  George  Bowie  of  Abbe- 
ville, his  old  school-mate,  who  afterwards  removed  to  Alabama, 
was  awarded  the  second  honor. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  he  put  into  execution  a  design  he  had 
long  thought  of,  which  was  to  change  the  spelling  of  his  name. 
Having  a  strong  leaning  to  his  Huguenot  parentage,  and  his 
father's  family  holding  the  tradition  of  having  come  to  Ireland 
from  France,  he  adopted  the  French  spelling  and  all  his  brothers 
and  sisters  followed  him  and  adopted  the  change.  In  after  years, 
however,  he  regretted  the  alteration  of  the  patronymic. 

On  his  return  home  after  graduation  he  found  that  the  narrow 
fortunes  of  the  household  had  become  narrower  still.  Debts 
had  been  contracted;  the  old  farm,  his  birth-place,  had  been 
taken  to  satisfy  some  of  these;  and  the  negroes  had  gone  to  pay 
others.  His  Uncle  Finley,  whom  he  consulted,  advised  him  to 
remove  to  some  new  country  and  sever  himself  from  the  falling 
fortunes  of  his  family.  "  I  will  never  desert  my  mother, "  was  his 
reply.  "Then  you  will  all  sink  together,"  was  P'inley's  answer; 
"ruin  is  inevitable."  He  was  stung  almost  to  madness  by  these 
cruel  words,  the  more  so,  perhaps,  as  he  recognized  their  truth. 


36  ^(/^5  Letters  and  Speeches 

His  strong  and  passionate  nature  was  stirred  to  its  depth,  he 
was  almost  in  despair  and  would  gladly  have  welcomed  some 
sudden  convulsion  of  nature  that  would  snatch  them  all  away 
from  the  fate  which  seemed  to  await  them.  Strong  and  vigorous 
as  he  was,  every  channel  for  the  immediate  relief  of  the  family 
seemed  to  be  barred.  The  only  opening  that  appeared  was 
that  he  should  resume  the  plough  and  work  the  farm.  Telling 
his  mother  of  this  determination,  the  usual,  calm,  firm  spirit  of 
the  Pastor's  daughter  asserted  itself  and  she  would  not  hear  of 
this  sacrifice.  She  cheered  and  encouraged  him  and  advised 
that  he  could  best  assist  his  home  by  leaving  it  to  go  where  for- 
tune invited. 


James  Louis  Petigru  37 


CHAPTER  VII 

Teaching  School  and  Reading  Law 

He  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  Beaufort  district.  Influential 
friends  secured  a  school  for  him  in  the  lower  part  of  St.  Luke's 
parish  on  the  Eutaw,  near  the  Baptist  Church,  which  he  made 
his  school-room.  Under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  William  Robertson 
of  Beaufort  district  he  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and  for  his 
support  he  taught  school.  While  engaged  in  this  double  scheme 
for  the  present  and  the  future,  he  boarded  in  the  family  of  the 
Reverend  Dr.  Sweet,  the  pastor  of  the  church. 

He  remained  in  charge  of  this  school  for  about  six  months 
and  then  removed  to  Beaufort. 

Beaufort  is  situated  on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  bay  at  the 
head  of  St.  Helena  Sound  and  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
little  towns  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  was  always  a  residence  of 
some  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  cultivated  people  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  a  summer  resort  of  the  planters  of  the  adjacent  planta- 
tions. 

At  Beaufort  a  college  was  organized  in  1795,  but  the  corner 
stone  of  the  building  was  not  laid  until  1802.  It  had  a  board  of 
trustees  who  furnished  their  ideas  on  education,  and  although 
the  institution  had  the  power  to  issue  degrees,  it  never  rose 
higher  than  an  academy.  The  rules  were  stringent;  two  vaca- 
tions a  year  of  four  weeks  each;  the  summer  hours  for  the  school 
were  from  six  to  eight  and  from  nine  till  twelve  in  the  morning, 
and  from  one  till  five  in  the  afternoon. 

On  July  10,  1810,  Petigru  was  appointed  assistant  at  a  salary 
of  nine  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  and  in  1811  he  temporarily 
succeeded  to  the  presidency  at  the  resignation  of  the  incumbent 
and  was  allowed  an  increased  compensation.  He  discharged 
with  zeal  and  ability  the  duties  ot  the  whole  school.  The  teacher 
became  a  favorite  with  all  parties,  with  the  inhabitants  at  large, 
and  with  the  boys,  who  delighted  in  his  genial  humor  that  lent 
itself  readily  in  play-hours  to  their  amusement.  Stern  as  a  Turk 
in  upholding  the  laws  of  discipline,  he  sometimes  resorted  to  the 
most  decisive  modes  of  enforcing  them.     He  had  small  patience 


38  ^^/^,  Letters  and  Speeches 

with  dunces,  and  one  stupid  fellow  provoked  him  so  much  one 
day  that  he  kicked  him  out  of  the  door,  and  when  the  chap 
roared  and  rolled  on  the  ground,  Petigru  went  out  and  kicked 
him  in  at  the  window.  But  he  was  usually  as  joyous  as  one  of 
the  boys,  and  when  the  hour  of  study  was  over  he  would  some- 
times spin  tops  or  play  marbles  with  as  much  glee  as  any  of 
their  number. 

At  the  end  of  the  year  1812  there  was  an  election  for  the  presi- 
dency of  the  academy;  Petigru  was  a  candidate  for  the  place. 
Mr.  M.  L.  Hurlbut,*  of  New  England,  was  elected  and  our  re- 
jected candidate  went  back  to  St.  Lukes  and  the  law.  It  was 
some  time  before  the  Trustees  could  find  a  suitable  person  to 
take  the  assistant's  place,  so  Petigru  remained  in  the  college 
some  months  longer.  He  and  the  president  were  strangers  to 
each  other's  character,  and  according  to  Grayson  an  incident 
occurred  which  endangered  their  amicable  relations.  During 
the  time  that  Petigru  acted  as  president  he  had  used  an  arm- 
chair of  his  own  providing,  and  it  was  left  in  the  principal's 
room.  He  wanted  it  in  a  day  or  two,  and  sent  a  boy  to  bring  it. 
The  messenger  returned,  saying  that  the  president  refused  to 
give  it  up.  President  Hurlbut  had  not  yet  learned  his  subordi- 
nate's nature;  impatient  always  of  personal  wrongs  and  prompt 
to  resist  them  he  would  have  given  a  dozen  chairs  at  a  word  of 
request,  but  lawless  authority  or  injustice  he  would  not  tolerate. 
The  assistant  strolled  into  the  room,  shouldered  the  chair,  and 
marched  off  to  his  own  quarters  in  a  manner  too  significant  to 
be  mistaken.  It  was  a  revelation  of  the  man  that  Mr.  Hurlbut 
never  forgot.  The  president  was  an  estimable  man,  and  the 
assistant  was  frank,  placable  and  ready  to  appreciate  merit, 
wherever  he  found  it;  friendly  relations  were  soon  established, 
which  continued  ever  afterwards  between  the  descendants  of 
Mr.  Hurlbut  and  those  of  Mr.  Petigru. 

Mr.  Petigru  was  wont  to  say  that  if  he  had  succeeded  in  the 
election  for  the  presidency  of  the  Beaufort  College  it  would  have 


*Hc  and  the  Reverend  John  Morgan  Palmer,  rector  of  the  Circular  Church, 
married  daughters  of  Captain  Jared  Bunce  of  Philadelphia.  He  was  father  of 
Stephen  Augustus  Hurlbut,  Major-General  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  a 
member  of  Congress  from  Illinois;  by  a  second  marriage  father  of  William  Henry 
Hurlbut  of  the  New  York  World,  and  of  George  Hurlbut,  Secretary  to  the  Ameri- 
can Geographical  Society. 


"James  Louis  Petigru  39 

fixed  him  in  the  occupation  of  teaching  and  changed  the  whole 
course  of  his  life.  What  the  youth  of  the  State,  of  the  country, 
and  English  literature  lost  can  never  be  estimated.  He  became 
a  great  lawyer,  perhaps  the  first  common-law  lawyer  in  the 
United  States,  but  as  a  literary  man  and  the  president  of  a  uni- 
versity he  might  have  been  still  more  distinguished.  His  tastes 
lay  in  that  direction.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  real  truth  in  the 
remark  he  once  jestingly  made:  "  I  have  a  mind  to  take  to  lectur- 
ing. I  would  rather  undertake  to  teach  the  boys  than  the 
judges."  To  a  friend,  who  in  after  years  spoke  of  having  his 
son  study  law,  he  replied,  "If  you  have  a  son  who  is  a  fool,  bring 
him  to  the  bar."  The  engrossing  duties  of  his  profession  and 
the  pressure  of  misfortune  left  him  no  leisure  to  indulge  his  liter- 
ary tastes.  In  the  evening  of  his  days,  speaking  of  his  natural 
inclination  for  literature  rather  than  law,  a  gentleman  asked  why 
he  had  not  gratified  it.  He  replied  by  quoting  the  first  lines  of 
Gray's  ode: 

"Daugliter  of  Love,  relentless  power, 
Thou  tamer  of  the  human  breast." 

The  querist,  who  was  not  a  man  of  letters,  was  as  wise  as  ever; 
but  there  were  others  by  who  appreciated  at  once  the  delicacy  of 
the  reply  and  what  it  cost  to  make  it. 


40  -^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Social  Life  at  Beaufort 

The  friendship  of  Judge  Huger  for  Petigru  rendered  his  intro- 
duction into  the  best  houses  in  Beaufort  easy,  and  his  wit  and 
vivacity  soon  made  him  a  favorite  with  all  who  knew  him.  In 
his  will  he  says:  "The  portrait  of  my  friend  and  early  patron, 
Judge  Huger,  I  leave  to  my  dear  wife,  who  shares  with  me  the 
affection  which  I  bear  to  his  family." 

One  of  the  wealthy  houses  at  which  he  became  intimate  was 
that  of  Mrs.  Heyward,  widow  of  Judge  Thomas  Heyward,  of 
Whitehall.  He  derived  great  benefit  from  her  conversation  and 
from  the  use  of  her  library,  and  a  friendship  sprang  up  between 
himself  and  her  son  Tom. 

It  was  at  a  large  dinner  at  this  house,  at  which  an  old  General 
of  the  Revolution  and  other  distinguished  guests  occupied  places 
of  honor,  that  he  and  Tom  Heyward  sat  at  the  lower  end  "  below 
the  salt."  The  conversation  among  the  elders  was  witty  and 
humorous,  but  had,  to  say  the  least,  no  false  delicacy  about  it. 
An  occasional  broad  phrase  in  the  fashion  of  the  time  reached 
and  tickled  the  ears  of  the  juniors.  When  the  guests  had  gone 
Mrs.  Heyward  rather  embarrassed  her  young  friend  by  asking 
him  what  he  thought  of  the  talk  at  her  end  of  the  table.  "  Why, 
Madam,"  said  he,  with  some  hesitation,  "I  thought  it  rather 

salt." 

In  writing  of  Mrs.  Heyward  he  remarked:  "In  truth  she  is  a 
wonderful  old  lady,  a  vara  avis,  in  terris,  and  has  with  the  garrul- 
ity of  a  woman  all  the  ideas  and  language  of  a  man."  To  this 
wonderful  old  lady  he  wrote  verses  which  unfortunately  are  not 
preserved. 

In  after  Hfe  he  occasionally  quoted  a  remark  of  Tom  Hey- 
ward's:  "Whatever  parties  may  exist  in  a  country  and  under 
whatever  name  they  may  go,  there  are  always  two  aristocracies 
—the  aristocracy  of  talent  and  the  aristocracy  of  wealth.  You 
[to  Petigru]  belong  to  the  one  and  I  belong  to  the  other." 

Another  place  at  which  Mr.  Petigru  was  a  frequent  guest  was 


James  Louis  Petigru  41 

the  plantation  of  Mr.  Neufville,  Rocky  Point,  on  Graham's  Neck. 
Mr.  Neufville  was  an  accomplished  man  of  the  world,  loved  wit 
and  vivacity  and  was  noted  for  a  duel  in  which  he  had  out-man- 
oeuvred Boone  Mitchell,  who  was  rated  as  the  most  expert 
duellist  of  the  time.  A  challenge  passed  between  them;  but 
fortunately  Neufville's  seconds  understood  the  teaching  of  the 
code  that  more  principals  are  killed  through  the  ignorance  of  the 
seconds  than  by  the  weapons  of  the  adversaries.  They  arranged 
that  the  principals  should  be  placed  at  the  usual  thirty  paces 
apart  and  at  the  word  should  advance  and  fire  at  any  time  until 
the  distance  of  ten  paces  was  reached.  As  they  had  calculated, 
Mitchell  reserved  his  fire,  but  Neufville  fired  at  the  word  and 
was  fortunate  enough  to  disable  the  pistol  arm  of  his  adversary. 
Mitchell  still  grasping  his  pistol,  supported  it  on  his  left  arm, 
fired  and  missed  his  man. 

On  the  grounds  of  the  Neufville  plantation  the  aloe  grew  in 
great  profusion  and  one  of  the  amusements  of  the  young  people 
was  to  carve  their  names  and  write  verses  on  the  large,  thick 
leaves.  A  Miss  C.  remarked  that  the  plants  were  more  fruitful 
in  wit  and  poetry  than  in  flowers.  Spurred  by  this  remark 
young  Petigru  improved  the  occasion  by  producing  some  verses 
of  his  own,  a  copy  of  which  he  sent  to  Grayson. 

The  Aloe 

"Though  bitter  the  .iloe,  'tis  pleasant  to  gaze 
On  a  plant  of  such  wonderful  birth, 
That  blossoms  but  once  in  the  limited  days 
Allotted  the  children  of  earth. 
And  such,  lovely  maid,  is  the  passion  I  prove; 
Yet,  ah!  it  depends  upon  you, 
Whether,  doomed  to  endure  like  the  aloe,  my  love 
Must  be  like  it  in  bitterness  too." 

" How  do  you  like  that .^"  he  asks.  "Short  and  sweet,  ay!  Epi- 
grammatic, forsooth!  Tell  me  your  opinion.  I  suppose  you 
think  that  Tom  Moore  has  reason  to  complain  of  the  first  stanza. 
Do  you  think  it  so  near  a  theft  as  to  be  actionable.''" 

The  stanzas  met  with  favor  from  the  lady.  They  were  more 
fortunate  than  a  sonnet  which  Petigru  finished  with  great  care 
and  submitted  to  the  critical  judgment  of  the  Courier.  It 
was  rejected  on  the  ground  that  the  metre  was  too  imperfect  for 
publication.  Mr.  Petigru  used  to  say  that  this  was  the  greatest 
mortification  of  his  life. 


42  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

"The  verses,"  he  said,  "may  have  lacked  the  divine  afflatus, 
but  their  English  construction  was  perfect." 

He,  however,  continued  to  write  poetry  and  amused  himself 
by  attempting  to  imitate  the  measures  of  various  poets,  as  the 
following  letter  shows.  It  is  a  little  lofty  to  be  addressed  to  a 
young  lady  of  seventeen,  and  to  one  who  knew  them  both  it  is 
rather  a  puzzle  which  to  admire  most,  his  youthful  enthusiasm 
or  his  adroit  flattery  and  irony. 

The  lady  to  whom  he  addressed  the  poem  on  "The  Aloe," 
"  Miss  C, "  who,  as  Grayson  gently  insinuates,  received  his  poem 
but  declined  his  addresses,  was  Miss  Chisolm.  She  is  again  re- 
ferred to  in  this  letter  and  it  is  a  fact  that  though  she  twice  re- 
jected his  addresses  before  he  met  Miss  Postell*  it  was  never 
considered  a  very  serious  afl^air. 

TO  MISS   JANE  AMELIA  POSTELL 

Beaufort,  Aug.  25th,  1812. 
There  are  two  things  I  believe  firmly:  I  believe  with  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  that  the  eyes  were  made  to  see  with,  and  I  believe  with 
the  rest  of  the  world,  that  pens  were  made  to  write  with.  As  the 
eyes  are  never  more  riveted  to  their  duty  than  in  gazing  on  a  fine 
lady,  so  there  is  nothing  generally  written  with  more  alacrity 
than  a  letter.  I  think  I  am,  myself,  an  example  to  prove  this 
remark,  for  here  I  am  writing  most  gravely  to  Miss  Postell,  be- 
cause she  said  in  a  jest  that  I  might  do  so.  Now,  were  I  called 
on  to  account  for  this  partiality,  that  people  have  for  writing 
letters  above  anything  else,  I  would  give  these  reasons:  In  the 
first  place,  such  compositions  are  submitted,  in  general,  to  a 
more  favorable  tribunal  than  any  other.  Very  likely  Mr. Crafts 
has  often  written  to  his  friends  many  duller  things  than  his 
parody  of  Gray's  Bard,  yet  no  one  ever  blamed  him  for  it.  But 
as  soon  as  anyone  makes  the  world  his  correspondent,  he  can  no 
longer  be  dull  with  impunity.  In  the  next  place,  an  epistolary 
writer  has  a  great  advantage  in  this:  that  he  is  pretty  sure  of 
being  read.  A  distinction  which,  many  who  publish  sermons, 
and  many  who  write  philosophical  systems,  never  had  the  good 
fortune  to  attain.  To  be  read  is  indeed  the  prayer  and  aim  of 
everyone,  that  aspires  to  the  name  of  a  writer.  How  happy  then 
is  he,  who  scribbles  letters,  under  the  assurance  that  he  shall  not 
be  without  this  honor;  after  which  epic  poets  and  historians  have 
strived  in  vain!  That  people  are  very  tenacious  on  this  subject, 
may  be  well  shown  by  an  anecdote.  Lord  Ossory  was  a  bosom 
friend  of  Dean  Swift,  and  was  left  his  executor  by  him.     He  was 

*Letter  of  Caroline  Carson  to  J.  P.  C. 


James  Louis  Petigru  43 

engaged  in  discharging  this  trust  with  great  tenderness  to  the 
Dean's  memory,  when  unluckily,  one  day,  in  examining  the 
papers  of  the  deceased,  he  found  a  letter  from  himself,  with  the 
seal  unbroken,  on  which  was  written  in  the  Dean's  own  hand, 
"This  will  keep  cold."  My  Lord's  friendship,  in  a  single  mo- 
ment, was  converted  into  rage,  and  he  immediately  set  himself 
to  write  a  history  of  the  Dean's  life,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  tra- 
ducing and  vilifying  his  character.  See  then  the  laws,  as  far  as 
I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  them,  that  prevail  between  those 
that  write  letters;  they  may  be  summed  up  thus:  To  go  uncriti- 
cised,  and  to  be  punctually  read.  Can  you  then  be  surprised, 
that  I  should  write  to  you,  or  that  letters  should  be  a  favorite 
way  of  writing?  Do  you  recollect  that  I  was  to  write  some  verses 
on  Laura?     Here  they  are: 

To  Laura 

Sweet  image  of  Saints,  that  repose 
Where  anger  and  strife  never  come! 
Whose  looks,  like  a  mirror  disclose 
The  charms,  that  in  Paradise  bloom. 

Sweet  Laura!  how  placid  the  dream, 
That  holds  thy  young  being  in  trance; 
Untroubled  you  glide  on  the  stream, 
And  passive  and  harmless  advance. 

Those  eyes,  that  with  pity  shall  jnelt, 
Or  smile,  with  attraction  to  bless, 
Now  lambent  and  gazing  unfelt, 
Nor  sorrow,  nor  joy  can  express. 

Thy  morning  's  begun  and  is  fair; 
Thy  lot 's  with  the  tender  and  good; 
And  O!  may  thy  day  be  as  clear, 
Nor  sorrows  to  cloud  it,  intrude. 

I  hope  Miss  Laura  will  be  instructed  to  recognize  in  me  her 
first  admirer  and  poet.  I  have  taken  the  verse  of  Shenstone  for 
my  model;  a  measure  that  I  was  always  fond  of,  but  never  at- 
tempted in  practice  before.  By  the  way  I  ought  to  ask  you  if 
you  are  fond  of  Shenstone,  and  to  beg  it  you  have  not  done  it 
before,  to  read  his  "School  Mistress"  and  his  "Pastoral  Ballad." 
You  will  find  them  in  Dodsley  Miscellanies  at  Mrs.  Heyward's. 

I  hope  you  received  "Thinks  I  to  myself"  safe.  I  dare  say 
you  have  had  many  a  good  laugh  in  the  perusal  of  it.  Is  it  not 
strange  that  a  work  so  fanciful  and  so  ludicrous  should  be  written 
by  a  man  like  Mr.  Canning,  who  is  engaged  in  such  high  employ- 
ments and  occupied  by  the  most  serious  cases  in  the  world?  It 
shows,  I  think,  great  versatility  of  mind  and  great  happiness  of 
application. 


44  L,ije,  Letters  and  Speeches 

A  young  gentleman  of  your  acquaintance  is  going  to  be 
married  next  month.  I  tell  you  this,  because  he  is  a  Philadel- 
phia student  and  it  was  thought  heretofore  that  his  medical  hon- 
ors would  precede  his  matrimonial  preferment.  It  is  not  every 
city  that  sustains  a  siege  of  Troy,  nor  is  it  every  lady  that  will 
allow  her  lover  to  go  to  Philadelphia  without  her.  The  lady's 
name  resembles  a  field  of  undergrowth,  and  the  gentleman's 
you  can  guess  at.  Adjutant  C.  is  going  to  bring  his  lady  among 
us.  We  thought  she  was  going  to  be  an  inmate  of  ours,  but  my 
hostess  has  been  displaced  by  another  housekeeper  and  that 
housekeeper  by  a  third.  My  hostess  observed  she  was  not  sorry 
for  that  these  old  maids  always  continue  to  be  freakish.  See 
what  it  is  to  be  an  old  maid  and  not  have  a  good  word  from  any- 
body !  There  are  sick  children  in  the  house,  whose  lives  are  even 
thought  to  be  in  danger.  I  hope  you  have  no  such  disasters  at 
Rockspring.  Mr.  Gregorie  and  Dr.  Doyley  are  said  to  be  rivals; 
you  know  Mr.  G.'s  old  flame.  A  former  lover  of  a  young  lady 
at  Cuthbertville  is  said  to  be  attracted  within  the  influence  of  the 
other  sister  Miss  I.  C,  I  merely  repeat  common  scandal.  With 
sentiments  of  the  highest  respect  to  yourself  and  Miss  Ford,  I  am 
young  ladies,  your  most  servile  to  command. 

T.  L.  Petigru. 


After  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  another  fancy  touched  his 
heart  more  seriously.  The  object  was  Mary  Bowman,  a  very 
lovely  girl  of  Beaufort.  She  had  every  beauty  of  face  and  figure, 
though  to  say  the  truth  she  was  not,  by  any  means,  as  well  sup- 
plied as  the  bride  of  Scarron  in  one  of  the  articles  enumerated  in 
his  marriage  settlement. 

But  the  lady  was  an  expectant,  merely,  of  fortune,  and  her 
admirer  unfurnished  as  yet  with  anything  more  than  genius  and 
force  of  character.  A  rich  suitor,  a  widower  with  one  small  child 
and  two  or  three  plantations,  made  court  to  the  fair  one  and  was 
forthwith  accepted.  The  relatives,  at  least,  thought  the  match 
too  good  to  be  refused.  Her  young  friend  in  after  life  never 
failed  to  speak  of  her  with  gentle  memories  and  unbounded  ad- 
miration of  her  beauty. 

Thrown  into  such  society,  it  is  not  suprising  that,  writing  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Grayson  at  this  period,  he  should  lament  over  his 
lost  zeal  for  study  and  wish  that  "  he  was  fairly  within  the  vulgar 
pale,  lording  it  over  a  farm,  talking  of  venison,  drum  fish,  cotton- 
seed and  politics.  This  is  the  state  in  which  a  man  quietly  vege- 
tates and  like  other  vegetables  is  governed  by  steady  principles 


James  Louis  Petigru  45 

and  is  led  to  dissolution  by  regular  gradations  without  the  annoy- 
ance of  passion  or  eccentricity  of  mind." 

No  one  would  ever  have  supposed  that  at  the  beginning  of  his 
career  he  was  intensely  shy  and  nervous,  not  only  at  visiting  the 
fine  houses  but  even  when  he  began  to  speak  in  court.  He  used 
to  tell  with  much  humor  how  there  was  one  lady  who  made  him 

welcome,  but  by  ill-luck  he  addressed  her  once  as  Mrs.  X ■ 

the  name  of  his  landlady,  the  wife  of  the  captain  of  a  coasting 
vessel.  The  great  lady  drew  herself  up;  he  knew  he  had  given 
offence  and  took  great  pains  not  to  repeat  it,  but  the  very  next 
time  he  spoke  to  her  he  did  the  same  thing.     At  last  it  became  a 

sort  of  spell,  he  could  not  call  her  anything  but  Mrs.  X , 

and  he  had  to  give  up  visiting  at  the  house. 


46  J^iJ^-,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  IX 
Admitted  to  the  Bar;  A  Soldier 

During  the  time  that  Mr.  Petigru  was  teaching  in  the  college 
at  Beaufort  he  read  law  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  William 
Robertson.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at  Charleston  at  the 
end  of  December,  1812,  in  company  with  an  old  school-fellow, 
J.  F.  Trezevant,  Robert  Y.  Hayne,  and  John  Mark  Verdier  of 
Beaufort. 

In  consequence  of  the  war  all  business  was  suspended  and 
there  was  nothing  tor  a  young  lawyer  to  do. 

When  two  English  sloops  of  war,  the  Moselle  and  Colibri,  in 
the  summer  of  1813  were  at  anchor  in  Port  Royal  and  the  mil- 
itia of  the  neighboring  parishes  were  mustered  for  the  defence  of 
the  islands,  Mr.  Petigru  marched  in  a  company  under  Captain 
Huguenin  to  Hilton  Head  with  a  musket  on  his  shoulder,  pre- 
pared to  do  battle  in  the  front  rank  for  the  country's  honor, 
though  entirely  lacking  in  sympathy  with  the  war  measures  of 
the  Administration. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  in  1832,  when  General  Jackson  sent 
General  Scott  to  Charleston  to  pacify  the  nullifiers,  Scott  was 
recounting  one  day  at  Mr.  Petigru's  house  an  event  of  the  war 
of  1812.  Turning  to  his  host,  he  said,  "You  are  too  young, 
Petigru,  to  have  taken  part  in  the  war."  "Too  young,"  Peti- 
gru replied,  stretching  out  his  legs  as  he  sat,  throwing  himself 
back  in  his  chair,  crossing  his  hands  on  his  chest, — "Too  young. 
General!  Why  at  that  very  time  I  was  burning  with  a  passion- 
ate desire  to  be  a  hero."  And  he  told  of  his  exploits  on  Hilton 
Head,  and  his  driving  a  wagon  under  Huguenin's  command. 

He  relieved  the  monotony  of  his  country  life  by  visits  to 
Charleston,  where  he  met  many  friends,  some  in  the  service  and 
some  seeking  it.  His  letters  to  Grayson  at  this  period  recount 
his  meetings  with  mutual  friends  and  happenings  in  the  seaport 
city.  One  of  them  says:  "I  can  not  make  a  like  return  to  the 
hero-comic  story  of  your  letter,  but  I  can  tell  you  of  a  damned 
rascally  thing  of  recent  occurrence.  A  privateer,  the  Revenge, 
Captain  Butler,  put  into  this  port  two  weeks  ago.     The  common 


,  James  Louis  Petigru  47 

soldiers  had  divided  more  than  one  thousand  dollars  apiece  and 
this  overflow  came  from  robbing  a  Spanish  vessel.  They  robbed 
her  crew  and  passengers  not  only  of  all  their  money,  but  of  every 
rag  of  clothing  except  what  was  on  their  backs.  The  pirates 
strutted  through  Charleston,  proclaiming  this  deed,  displaying 
their  gold  watches  and  fine  clothes,  and  not  a  soul  took  any 
notice  of  it,  till  at  length  the  crew  got  to  fighting  among  them- 
selves, and  one  informed.  Even  then  the  marshal  arrested  none 
but  the  captain,  and  it  is  said  retained  no  evidence  against  him. 
Thus  to  the  dishonor  of  our  name,  these  pirates,  in  all  probabil- 
ity, will  go  off  with  impunity." 

In  another  he  wrote:  "I  was  amazed,  at  the  sight  of  our  friend 
James  T.  Dent,  who  was  expecting  an  appointment  from  Wash- 
ington. You  may  remember  his  steady  attachment  to  the 
maxim  of  Creech's  Horace: 

'Not  to  admire  is  all  the  art  1  know, 
To  make  men  happy  and  to  keep  them  so.' 

"He  has  been  wandering  about  carelessly  improving  his  knowl- 
edge to  the  detriment  of  his  purse;  but  while  one's  capital  has  not 
yet  gone  and  his  hopes  are  young  there  is  nothing  to  prevent 
pleasure." 

He  says,  "I  met  Bull*  too,  and  was  positively  astonished;  he 
is  considered  the  Governor's  private  secretary  though  it  has  not 
been  formally  announced.  It  is  a  snug  post,  and  opens  the  world 
to  him  in  a  very  advantageous  manner. 

"There  was  no  pique  or  misunderstanding  between  him  and 
General  Alston.  The  boy  grew  restive  and,  as  the  method 
agreed  on  between  the  parties  precluded  coercion.  Bull  refused  to 
receive  the  salary  any  longer,  and  left  the  place  contrary  to  the 
General's  wishes." 

In  another  letter  Petigru  speaks  of  having  met  with  General 

*William  H.  Bull  had  gone  from  college  to  be  a  tutor  in  Alston's  family. 
Joseph  Alston  was  Governor  of  South  Carolina  from  1812  to  1814.  In  1801  he 
married  Theodosia  Burr  and  the  home  of  the  two  was  thereafter  at  "The  Oaks. " 
They  had  one  son,  Aaron  Burr  Alston,  who  died  on  the  thirteenth  of  June,  1812. 
It  was  from  "The  Oaks"  that  Theodosia  Burr  Alston  departed  to  sail  on  the 
thirtieth  of  December,  1812,  on  the  pilotboat-built  schooner  Prt/r;'o/,  from  George- 
town to  New  York.  The  vessel  never  reached  her  destination.  A  severe  gale 
of!"  the  coast  of  North  Carolina  was  encountered,  the  Patriot  was  foundered  and 
all  on  board  perished.  The  story  of  her  capture  by  pirates  is  a  fiction  which  does 
not  deserve  serious  consideration. 


48  ^i/^>  Letters  and  Speeches 

Tait*  at  the  Planters'  Hotel,  and  remarks  that  he"never  met  him 
without  being  struck  by  his  misfortunes  and  the  calmness  with 
which  he  bore  them." 

General  Tait  was  a  soldier  of  fortune.  He  had  served  in  the 
American  Revolution  with  the  commission,  it  is  said,  of  Captain 
of  Artillery.  Afterwards  he  went  to  France  to  offer  his  sword 
to  the  new  republic,  which  was  declined.  Following  is  an  ac- 
count of  Tait's  services: 

"The  French  generals  Hoche  and  Carnot  conceived  the  ex- 
traordinary idea  of  landing  on  the  coast  of  Wales  a  force  of  some 
fifteen  hundred  convicts  and  setting  them  loose  to  pillage  the 
enemy's  country;  and  each  man  was  informed  that  from  the 
moment  he  landed  in  England  he  would  be  regarded  as  having 
been  pardoned  by  the  French  Government.  On  February  22, 
1797,  a  French  squadron  appeared  in  Cardigan  Bay  and  disem- 
barked fifteen  hundred  French  convicts  under  the  command  of 
Colonel  Tait.      This  was  the  last  foreign  invasion  of  England. 

"The  colonel  and  his  precious  men  were  armed  to  the  teeth 
and  carried  out  as  far  as  possible  the  instructions  to  avoid  actual 
fighting  and  devote  themselves  to  pillage  and  plunder.  But 
three  days  later  they  were  surrounded  by  a  large  force  of  yeo- 
manry and  militia  and  surrendered. 

"At  a  subsequent  exchange  of  prisoners  the  French  Govern- 
ment absolutely  refused  to  receive  any  of  the  worthies  of  the 
command  of  Colonel  Tait.  At  length  the  English  declined  to 
keep  them  any  longer  and  under  cover  of  night  quietly  landed 
them  on  the  French  coast,  where  their  presence  inspired  eloquent 
expressions  of  terror.  Ultimately  the  French  troops  were  forced 
by  popular  sentiment  to  round  them  up,  and  to  the  number  of 
eight  hundred  they  were  conveyed  to  the  galleys.  The  seven 
hundred  others  managed  to  escape  capture  and  remained  fugi- 
tives from  French  justice,  as  the  government  declined  to  fulfill 
the  promise  of  considering  them  as  pardoned  from  the  moment 
they  set  foot  in  England." 

How  the  General  lived  in  Charleston  nobody  could  tell,  but 
probably  on  the  charity  of  his  hostess,  Mrs.  Calder.  He  was  a 
stoic  in  temperament  and  bore  the  ills  of  fortune  with  equanimity. 
He  was  a  man  of  striking  appearance,  of  good  address,  and  his 
varied  experience  gave  many  charms  to  his  conversation, 

*W.  J.  Grayson,  Memoir  of  James  Louis  Pefigru  (N.  Y.,  1866),  page  55. 


James  Louis  Petigrii  49 

He  was  ever  sanguine  of  success,  as  he  was  among  the  inven- 
tors of  perpetual  motion.  He  went  to  Philadelphia  to  perfect 
his  machine  and  probably  died  in  the  poorhouse. 

Mr.  Petigru  knew  the  relatives  of  the  battered  old  adventurer 
in  Abbeville,  which  was  a  sufficient  tie,  and  he  never  failed  in 
visiting  the  city  to  seek  the  veteran,  to  manifest  a  lively  concern 
in  his  troubles,  and  to  admire  the  magnanimity  with  which  he 
endured  the  ills  of  a  long  and  luckless  career. 

Of  another  visit  to  Charleston,  Petigru  says:  "Nobody  met 
me  with  more  cordiality  than  Mrs.  Calder  at  the  Planters'  Hotel. 
The  good  lady  took  hold  of  my  hands,  called  me  her  son,  and 
what  was  more  extraordinary,  remembered  I  had  left  her  house 
on  a  former  visit,  at  the  time  of  her  son's  death.  She  burst  into 
tears  and  declared  she  could  never  be  restored  to  tranquility 
again.  She  looked,  indeed,  very  much  reduced.  Nevertheless,  the 
hostess  at  length  predominated  and  she  joined  with  much  glee  in 
some  of  Frank  Hampton's*  broadest  jokes.  Frank  is  another  of 
the  old  fraternity  that  I  find  here.  This  may  be  said  of  Frank, 
that  I  see  no  difference  in  him  now  in  his  prosperity,  a  gay  and 
gallant  officer,  from  what  he  was  before.  He  is  the  same  only 
greatly  improved." 

Another  character  was  "Grassy"  Smith,  about  whom  the 
following  story  is  told  by  Mr.  Joseph  W.  Barnwell  in  his  address 
at  the  opening  of  Petigru  College: 

Mr.  Petigru,  who  was  fond  of  asking  in  subsequent  years  about 
people  whom  he  had  known  at  Beaufort,  once  said  to  Mr.  Pope, 
"And  how  is  'Grassy'  Smith?"  So  called  from  the  condition  of 
his  fields  which  adjoined  the  high  road  near  Port  Royal  ferry. 
"Ah,"  he  said,  when  informed  of  his  death,  "dead!  He  was  a 
man  of  great  judgment.  I  remember  during  the  war  of  1812 
that  my  friend  Bowman  said  to  me,  'Let  us  go  over  the  ferry  on 
Saturday  and  enjoy  ourselves.  I  have  a  bottle  of  the  best  which 
has  got  through  the  embargo. '  We  went.  The  lunch  was  good, 
and  the  brandy  was  better.  On  our  return  the  ferryman  was, 
of  course,  on  the  other  side,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  while  wait- 
ing in  the  cold  except  to  finish  the  bottle.  Suddenly  my  friend, 
who  had  but  one  arm,  fell  from  his  horse  in  a  fit.  A  negro  was 
sent  to  summon  Grassy,  known  for  his  benevolence,  and  down 
he  came  with  a  forceps  in  one  hand  and  a  lancet  in  the  other,  in- 
tent on  doing  good.  I  rushed  up  to  him  and  earnestly  explained 
to  him  the  sad  condition  of  my  friend.  Grassy  bent  over  him, 
rose,  turned  upon  his  heel,  and  said,  'They  are  both  drunk.' 
And  I  always  respected  his  judgment,  for  it  was  true." 

*He  was  a  son  of  General  Wade  Hampton  of  the  Revolution. 


50  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  X 

1813 

Commences  the  Practice  of  Law 

As  soon  as  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  Petigru  began  to  prac- 
tice in  Beaufort  district,  attending  also  the  Courts  of  Colleton 
and  Barnwell,  which  together  constituted  the  Southern  circuit. 
Mr.  Petigru's  headquarters  were  at  Coosawhatchie,  the  judicial 
capital  of  Beaufort  district.  Conditions  were  most  inauspicious 
during  the  war  of  1812,  The  planters  were  unable  to  sell  their 
produce,  there  was  no  money  in  the  country  and  all  business  was 
paralyzed.  On  this  account  Petigru  talked  sometimes  of  going 
to  New  Orleans,  the  point  of  attraction  then  of  young  and  enter- 
prising men.  But  the  duty  that  he  felt  that  he  owed  to  his 
mother  and  family  restrained  him.  His  first  and  only  partner 
during  his  practice  before  the  country  courts  was  his  classmate, 
John  Farquhar  Trezevant,*  but  the  partnership  was  not  of  long 
duration,  as  Mr.  Trezevant  married  in  May,  1813,  and  moved 
away.  Coosawhatchie  was  built  on  the  road  running  from 
Charleston  to  Savannah  at  a  point  about  midway  between  those 
two  cities,  where  a  little  so-called  river  of  the  same  name  was 
crossed.  On  the  left  the  bank  of  the  river  was  low  and  marshy; 
on  the  higher  ground  of  the  right  bank  the  village  extended 
along  the  road,  and  it  was  so  well  situated  for  catching  bilious 
fever  that  the  visitor  seldom  escaped  it.  It  was  hardly  habitable 
during  the  summer.f  The  evil  increased  as  the  woods  were  cut 
down,  and  the  moist,  fertile  soil  was  exposed  to  the  action  of  the 
sun.  To  live  in  the  village  for  two  consecutive  summers  became 
almost  impossible  for  white  men.  Few  ever  attempted  it. 
There  was  one  exception — P.  I.  Besselleu,  who  kept  a  shop,  and 
furnished  board  and  lodging  for  lawyers  and  clients  in  term-time. 
He  was  able  to  live  with  country  fever  with  all  its  varieties,  as 
conjurors  in  Bengal  handle  venomous  serpents  without  harm  or 
danger.     He  must  have  been  anointed  in  infancy  with  some  drug 

*Son  of  Peter  Trezevant.     See  page  27,  "Trezevant  Family,"  by  J.T.  Trezevant. 
fGrayson,  page  68. 


James  Louis  Petigrn  51 

of  mysterious  efficacy.  The  alligator  in  the  neighborhood  was 
not  safer  than  he.  To  every  white  man  but  himself  a  summer  in 
Coosawhatchie  was  death.  It  was  unnecessary  to  try  a  criminal 
there,  charged  with  a  capital  offence.  All  that  was  required  was 
to  put  him  in  jail  in  May  to  wait  his  trial  at  the  November  Court. 
The  State  paid  for  a  coffin  and  saved  the  expense  of  trial  and  ex- 
ecution. At  night  the  jailer  thought  it  unnecessary  to  remain 
in  the  jail.  He  locked  his  doors  and  went  away  to  some  healthier 
place  until  morning,  confident  that  his  prisoners  had  neither 
strength  nor  spirit  to  escape.  At  last  the  lawyers  became  dis- 
satisfied. They  loved  fair  play  as  well  as  fees  and  desired  to  see 
the  rogues  brought  to  justice  in  the  regular  way,  with  a  chance 
for  their  lives,  such  as  the  assistance  of  a  lawyer  always  affords 
them.  The  general  jail  delivery  brought  about  by  fever  pre- 
vented the  thief  from  being  duly  hanged  and  the  counsel  from 
receiving  his  retainer.  The  culprit  escaped  the  halter  through 
the  climate,  not  through  the  bar.  The  whole  proceeding  was 
informal;  petitions  were  got  up  to  change  the  site  ot  the  court- 
house and  jail  to  a  healthy  place,  and  Coosawhatchie  ceased  to 
be  the  district  capital.  When  Mr.  Petigru  began  to  practice 
law  the  village  was  in  its  palmiest  state.  It  had  a  dozen  shops 
or  houses,  with  a  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  winter  and  Mr, 
Besselleu  in  the  summer. 

All  that  remains  of  Coosawhatchie  to-day  are  a  few  scattered 
negro  cabins,  and  a  grove  of  sycamore  trees  on  the  former  site 
of  the  court-house  and  jail.* 

During  the  summer  Mr.  Petigru  retreated  to  Rock  Spring  in 
the  pine-land,  where  he  found  a  friend  in  Dr.  North,  who  prac- 
ticed medicine,  and  had  to  fly  like  his  patients  from  fever  in  the 
summer  season. 

Speaking  of  his  first  struggle  in  the  law,  he  said  that  the  first 
retainer  that  was  ever  offered  him  outside  of  Coosawhatchie  was 
at  Jacksonborough  in  the  shape  of  a  silver  quarter  by  a  pine- 
woodsman,  who  was  looking  for  a  defender  in  a  case  of  petty 
larceny. 

On  another  occasion  he  stopped  at  a  tavern.  The  landlady, 
evidently  a  little  doubtful  as  to  his  ability  to  pay,  addressed  him: 

*Besselleu,  with  surprisingly  good  handwriting,  wrote  to  Mr.  Petigru  in  1839, 
to  draw  his  will  and  be  his  heir  tor  the  protection  of  his  family.  To  this  appeal, 
and  others  for  twenty  years,  he  promptly  responded. 


52  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

"What  is  your  business?"  "Madam,  I  am  a  peddler,"  he  re- 
plied. "What  are  your  goods? "she  said.  "I  deal  in  practices 
and  precedents."  "I  don't  like  none  of  them  new-fashioned 
goods;  all  I  want  is  a  gingham  dress,  and  I  don't  believe  I  want 
to  look  at  'em." 

However,  it  appeared  to  establish  his  credit.  Often  did  he 
say  that  the  first  three  years  of  his  practice  he  had  never  had  the 
opportunity  of  making  a  brief,  but  he  took  his  revenge  out  of  the 
public  by  studying  all  the  harder. 

The  war  came  to  an  end  early  in  1815  and  business  revived. 
The  young  lawyer  began  to  make  a  fair  income  and  his  repu- 
tation soon  spread. 

With  the  first  money  he  earned  he  persuaded  his  father  to  let 
him  pull  down  the  old  farmhouse  at  Badwell  and  build  a  new  one 
for  his  mother.  This  has  ever  been  the  home  of  the  family  and 
he  formed  a  habit  of  going  there  every  summer  for  his  vacation. 
In  1816  he  was  elected  solicitor  of  the  district.  The  pay  of 
solicitor  is  not  large  but  the  office  gives  position  and  leads  to 
practice.  "I  have  been  elected  in  Columbia,"  he  writes  to  a 
friend,  "while  sitting  down  innocent  of  solicitation  in  Coosa- 
whatchie.  But  if  you  are  disposed  to  wonder,  you  will  wonder 
no  longer  when  you  recollect  the  zeal  of  Huger  and  the  energy  of 
Pringle."  These  gentlemen,  Daniel  E.  Huger  and  James  R. 
Pringle,  were  members  of  the  general  assembly  from  Charleston, 
friends  who  adhered  to  him  through  life. 

His  chief  and  constant  opponent  at  the  bar  was  William  D. 
Martin,  who  commenced  practicing  about  the  same  time.     They 
were  arrayed  against  each  other  in  every  case,  like  men-at-arms, 
separating  justice  on  either  hand.     If  the  plaintiff  had  the  aid  of 
one,  the  defendant  was  always  backed  by  the  other.    Many  of  the 
country  people  thought  that  they  had  a  private  understanding 
as  to  which  cases  each  was  to  win.     On  one  occasion  Mr.  Petigru 
was  even  approached  by  a  client  with  the  proposition  that  he 
should  not  only  argue  the  case,  but  arrange  with  Martin  that  it 
should  be  one  of  those  which  he  was  to  gain.     They  were  men 
of  frank,  cordial,  joyous  natures,  and  appreciated  in  each  other 
the  high  qualities  which  they  possessed  in  common.     Mr.  Peti- 
gru used  to  say  that  the  first  time  he  went  to  ride  the  circuit,"  as 
lawyers  did  in  those  days,"  he  and  his  friend  Martin  set  off 
together.     Martin's  horse  died,  and  they  continued  progress  by 


Jarnes  Louis  Peligru  53 

the  system  called  "ride  and  tie,"  with  the  condition  that  the 
walker  carried  always  the  saddle  of  the  dead  beast.  When  both 
were  in  easy  circumstances  afterward,  at  dinner  they  used  to  tell 
the  story  in  great  glee.  When  asked  why  they  did  not  leave  the 
saddle  to  be  sent  back  instead  of  carrying  it  through  the  country 
on  their  shoulders,  they  would  both  hang  their  heads  like  guilty 
schoolboys,  laugh  heartily,  and  never  explain.  To  their  simple 
minds  such  a  solution  in  fact  never  occurred. 

Mr.  Martin  became  judge  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  after- 
wards member  of  Congress  from  1827  to  1831.  He  died  Novem- 
ber 17,  1833.     Mr.  Petigru  records  the  event  in  a  feeling  letter: 

TO  HUGH  S.  LEGARE 

Charleston,  November  20,  1833. 
My  Dear  Legare: 

I  write  with  a  heavy  heart,  for  I  have  met  with  a  misfortune 
which  I  shall  long  and  deeply  feel  in  the  death  of  our  friend, 
Martin.  The  event  was  as  sudden  as  it  was  cruel.  We  had 
been  together  all  the  week  at  Georgetown;  left  it  last  Saturday 
morning  in  the  stage  and  crossed  Milton  Ferry  about  half  atter 
7  in  the  evening.  In  the  morning  he  had  complained  of  cold  and 
again  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  thought  he  had  a  little  fever,  but 
he  never  was  more  cheerful,  and  the  day  passed  as  so  many  other 
days  had  passed  between  us,  Httle  thinking  that  it  was  his  last. 
When  we  landed  in  town  he  resolved  to  go  to  Jones's,  and  said 
he  would  rather  go  there  and  take  some  medicine.  On  his  prom- 
ising to  come  to  my  house  next  day  I  consented,  and  we  parted 
never  to  meet  again,  for  next  morning  he  was  found  dead  in  his 
bed.  It  is  impossible  to  describe,  and  difficult  to  imagine,  the 
horror  I  felt  when  the  message  was  brought  me.  I  ran  to  him 
and  could  scarcely  credit  my  senses  when  I  found  him  a  lifeless 
corpse.  Never  did  death  come  more  stealthily.  His  counten- 
ance was  not  the  least  changed;  his  head  rested  on  his  pillow  in 
the  attitude  of  repose  and  his  eyes  were  closed  as  in  tranquil 
sleep.  But,  oh!  the  change  in  the  next  twenty-four  hours  was 
awful.  Blood  gushed  from  his  mouth  and  nostrils  and  the  prog- 
ress of  decay  was  so  rapid  that  on  Monday  afternoon  we  were 
obliged  to  commit  his  remains  to  the  ground.  He  was  the  earli- 
est friend  that  was  left  me,  and  for  the  last  twenty  years  our 
intercourse  was  marked  by  mutual  confidence  that  was  never 
broken  by  the  contentions  of  the  bar  nor  lately  by  the  more 
disastrous  opposition  of  politics.  To  me  his  loss  is  great;  to  the 
country  I  fear  it  is  calamitous.  Calhoun  is  incessantly  agitating. 
He  lectures  now  on  the  necessity  of  a  test  oath.  It  is  believed 
that  the  Legislature  will  pass  a  law  imposing  one. 


54  ^?/<?j  Letters  and  Speeches 

A  man  with  the  brilliancy,  originality  and  force  of  character 
of  Mr.  Petigru,  practicing  in  a  country  court,  must  necessarily 
have  left  characteristic  memories  behind  him.  There  are  many 
stories  of  great  antiquity  which  are  localized  and  attributed  to 
men  of  distinction  and  wit.  Of  these  Mr.  Petigru  was  a  victim 
as  were  Webster,  Lincoln,  and  others.  A  few  incidents  which 
occurred  while  he  was  a  young  lawyer  in  the  Beaufort  district 
may  serve  to  illustrate  the  character  of  the  man. 

He  was  always  impatient  of  injustice  and  brutality  and 
prompt  to  prevent  them.  On  one  occasion  there  was  a  fight 
going  on  in  front  of  his  office,  under  the  very  shadow  of  the 
temple  of  justice.  A  crowd  surrounded  the  combatants;  the 
affair  was  an  enjoyment  to  the  lookers-on  and  nobody  interfered 
to  stop  it.  Petigru's  indignation  was  at  last  aroused  by  the 
savage  sight  and  uproar.  He  broke  through  the  crowd,  seized 
one  of  the  parties  to  the  fight  by  his  collar  and  waistband  of  his 
trousers,  carried  him  off  to  the  office,  and  dumped  him  on  the 
floor  with  a  stern  injunction  to  keep  the  peace. 

At  another  time  he  was  assailed  in  the  courtyard  with  most 
violent  abuse  by  a  turbulent  fellow  of  the  village,  who  lavished 
on  Petigru  all  the  foul  epithets  and  appellations  he  could  remem- 
ber or  invent,  of  which  rogue  and  scoundrel  were  among  the  most 
moderate.  The  lawyer  stood  unmoved  with  a  half  smile  of 
amusement  on  his  face.  At  last,  the  bully  having  exhausted  his 
ordinary  vocabulary  of  abuse,  bethought  himself  of  the  term  of 
reproach  which  at  that  day  comprised  everything  hateful;  he 
called  him  "  a  damned  Federal."  Petigru's  temper  was  naturally 
quick  but  he  had  it  under  complete  control,  though  his  anger 
when  aroused  was  terrible.  The  word  was  no  sooner  uttered 
than  a  blow  altogether  unexpected  by  the  brawler  laid  him  in  the 
sand.  He  became  as  quiet  as  a  lamb  and  moved  away  without 
comment.  A  countryman  standing  near  came  up  and  took 
Petigru's  hand  and  said,  "Lawyer,  when  I  looked  at  your  little 
hand,  I  didn't  believe  you  could  have  did  it. "  An  old  gentleman 
present,  Mr.  William  Hutson,  one  of  the  remaining  adherents  of 
the  defunct  Federalist  party,  thought  the  proceeding  an  impu- 
tation on  his  old  creed.  "How  is  this,"  he  said  to  Petigru; 
"you  seem  to  think  it  a  greater  offence  to  be  called  a  Federalist 
than  to  be  called  a  rogue  and  a  rascal.?"  "Certainly,"  was  the 
reply;  "I  incurred  no  injury  by  being  called  a  rogue,  for  nobody 


James  Louis  Petigru  55 

believes  the  charge;  but  when  he  said  I  was  a  'FederaHst'  he 
came  too  near  the  truth."* 

He  incurred  subsequently,  in  conducting  a  case,  the  wrath  of 
a  tall  strapping  fellow  on  the  other  side.  They  met  a  morning 
or  two  after  at  Corrie's  Hotel.  There  was  a  long  piazza  where 
Petigru  was  walking  up  and  down.  The  discontented  person 
followed  him  to  and  fro,  persisting  in  the  vilest  denunciations. 
At  last  Petigru  turned  round  to  him  and  said  very  deliberately, 
"Really,  Barns,  if  I  had  a  whip,  I  should  be  tempted  to  horse- 
whip you."  "You  would,"  said  Barns;  "stay  a  moment,  I  will 
go  to  the  shop  over  the  way  and  borrow  one  for  you. "  He  went 
forthwith,  and  brought  a  whip,  which  he  presented  with  a  flour- 
ish of  incredulity,  defiance  and  mockery.  In  a  moment  he  was 
in  the  clutches  of  the  enemy,  a  powerful  hand  seized  him  by  the 
collar,  another  brandished  the  whip,  the  blows  fell  fast  on  the 
legs  of  the  astonished  ruffian.  The  lookers-on  were  amused  at 
his  contortions  to  avoid  the  stripes,  until  at  last  he  was  pushed 
down  the  steps  of  the  piazza  with  a  parting  kick  and  an  admon- 
ition to  return  the  whip  to  its  owner,  with  Mr.  Petigru's  thanks 
for  the  use  of  it. 

With  all  the  principles  of  an  aristocrat,  so  far  as  a  regard  to  the 
etiquette  of  society  and  the  due  obedience  to  established  author- 
ity are  concerned,  he  was  accessible  to  all  classes.  His  address 
was  always  pleasant.  He  delighted  to  talk  with  the  country 
people  and  seemed  to  draw  something  out  of  the  dullest,  impart- 
ing at  the  same  time  pleasure  to  them.  No  one  ever  came  near 
him  without  being  better,  wiser,  and  happier  from  the  contact, 
and  he  was  always  prepared  to  help  the  needy  and  protect  the 
wronged  and  distressed. 

Years  after  he  had  gone  to  Charleston  and  become  famous  he 
returned  to  Coosawhatchie  to  argue  some  great  case.  There  at  the 
hotel  he  met  a  friend  of  his  earlier  life,  called  Sam.  He  and  his 
friend  Sam  had  frolicked  together;  together  they  had  chased  deer 
in  the  swamps  of  the  Coosawhatchie.  His  friend  Sam  had  con- 
nected himself  with  a  highly  respectable  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians, but  had  "  backslided  "  twice  or  thrice.  Petigru  knew  it,  and 
with  outstretched  hand  he  met  his  old  friend  Sam  and  exclaimed, 
"Why,  Sam,  how  are  you,  and  how  is  all  the  family?"  "Thank 
God,  Mr.  Petigru,  they  are  all  well,  and  I  am  happy  to  intorm 

*This  was  the  wav  he  told  the  storv. 


56  L.iJ^',  Letters  and  Speeches 

you  that  since  I  last  saw  you  my  last  son  Tom  [the  wild  boy  of 
the  family]  has  joined  the  church. "  Mr.  Petigru's  eyes  twinkled 
as  he  said,  "Sam,  I  always  knew  that  there  was  a  sprig  of  piety 
in  your  family;  but,  Sam,  it  is  not  an  evergreen." 

In  later  life  he  always  enjoyed  speaking  of  the  days  when  they 
lived  at  Coosawhatchie,  and  often  in  court,  when  the  opposing 
counsel  was  laying  down  what  he  supposed  to  be  some  profound 
principle  of  law,  Mr.  Petigru  with  affected  humility  would  reply, 
"Gentlemen,  that  may  be  law  in  Philadelphia,  but  it  was  not 
law  in  Coosawhatchie." 

An  examination  of  the  records  of  the  Court  of  Beaufort  during 
that  time  shows  that  Mr.  Petigru  was  engaged  on  one  side  or  the 
other  in  all  the  most  important  cases  that  occurred,  and  there 
encountered  the  most  distinguished  lawyers  of  Georgia  and 
South  Carolina. 

The  case  of  Daniel  Neu,  tried  in  September,  1861,  furnishes 
another  amusing  anecdote  of  Mr.  Petigru's  forensic  abilities. 
Neu  lived  at  the  cross-roads  about  five  miles  east  of  Badwell. 
Being  a  man  of  unknown  antecedents,  according  to  the  common 
belief  of  the  community  he  had  been  a  pirate.  If  possible  he 
could  not  have  been  worse.  He  owned  a  small  farm  and  about 
fifteen  negroes.  His  children  of  both  colors  grew  up  together  in 
equal  dirt  and  squalor.  He  so  managed  his  farm  that  he  always 
had  two  or  three  runaways,  who  fed  and  clothed  the  other 
negroes.  At  his  trial  he  openly  boasted  that  "one  nigger  in  the 
bush  was  worth  three  in  the  field."  By  this  system  the  neigh- 
bors were  continuously  pillaged.  If  a  cow  or  a  hog,  or  even  the 
washing  from  the  clothesline  disappeared,  the  general  explan- 
ation was  that  Daniel  Neu's  runaways  had  stolen  them.  Con- 
sequently, they  became  the  terror  of  the  neighborhood.  Two 
of  the  unfortunates  were  finally  captured.  The  people  wanted 
to  lynch  them,  but  Mr.  Petigru  intervened  and  proposed  to  have 
them  tried  by  law.  He  accordingly  had  the  prisoners  indicted 
as  nuisances,  and  their  owner  for  maintaining  a  nuisance. 

The  trial  took  place  in  September,  1861,  before  Squire  Trewit 
and  a  jury.  Neu  retained  Mr.  Edward  Noble,  one  of  the  leading 
lawyers  of  Abbeville,  to  defend  him.  Mr.  Petigru  appeared  for 
the  prosecution.  The  trial  is  thus  described  by  Hiram  Palmer, 
who  was  one  of  the  jurymen: 

"Lowyer  Noble  talked  powerful  strong;  told  us  the  law  an' 


James  Louis  Petigru  SI 

read  it  out  of  the  books,  the  same  as  the  gospel.  Ever'thing 
looked  shore  all  right  for  Dan'el.  Jeams  L.  wus  seated  down 
an'  lissened  an'  sometimes  hit  the  floor  with  his  stick.  He  then 
looked  out  the  door,  an'  'is  face  wus  so  pitiful  we  felt  sorry  for 
him  an'  thought  that  we  wus  shore  beat.  Bime-by  Lowyer 
Noble  gits  through  talkin'.  Jeams  L.git  up.  He  bowed  to  the 
judge,  an'  he  bowed  to  the  jury  an'  ever'body  very  perlite.  He 
didn't  bring  no  books.  He  started  easy  like,  an'  said  that  his 
friend  Lowyer  Noble  talked  very  nice,  but  all  that  he  had  read 
out  of  the  books  had  nothin'  to  do  with  this  case;  an'  before  he 
had  talked  five  minits  he  had  Lowyer  Noble's  argyment  busted 
wide  open.  He  then  begin  to  talk  better'n  any  preacher  I  ever 
hear." 

The  decision  of  the  court  was  that  the  unfortunate  negroes 
were  to  be  sold  out  of  the  State,  and  Daniel  Neu  was  given  orders 
"within  thirty  days  to  leave  the  State."  He  made  a  great  dis- 
play of  moving  some  of  his  belongings  across  the  Savannah  River 
into  Georgia,  but  his  family  remained  at  the  farm,  to  which  it  is 
said  he  frequently  returned. 


58  '        ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XI 

1816-1819 

His  Marriage  and  Religion 

The  young  lawyer  of  rising  reputation,  brilliant  in  conver- 
sation, and  a  writer  of  verse,  has  no  long  lease  of  freedom  unless 
he  is  protected  by  the  fear  of  a  rich  aunt  or  the  guidance  of  a  wise 
mother.  Mr.  Petigru  had  no  one  to  warn  or  advise  him,  so  his 
fortune  was  speedily  decided.  There  lived  near  Coosawhatchie 
a  frank,  warmhearted  planter.  Captain  James  Postell,  Jr.,  son 
of  Colonel  Postell  of  Abbeville.  The  Captain  was  one  of  the 
most  hospitable  of  men  and  his  house  was  among  the  first  opened 
to  Mr.  Petigru  when  he  came  to  Beaufort.  He  had  a  daughter 
of  most  alluring  beauty.  She  was  Jane  Amelia  Postell,  one  of 
the  ladies  to  whom  Mr.  Petigru  wrote  poetry.  She  had  attended 
the  famous  school  of  Miss  Dattie,  the  most  fashionable  school  of 
that  day,  who  was  succeeded  by  her  niece.  Madam  Talvan. 
They  had  escaped  the  massacre  of  San  Domingo  in  1792,  and 
came  as  refugees  to  Charleston.  The  young  girls  educated  at 
this  school  learned,  besides  their  lessons,  good  manners  and 
absolute  obedience.  Jane  x^melia  Postell  had  a  profusion  of 
light  auburn  curly  hair,  and  handsome  dark  eyes,  a  most  brilliant 
complexion,  and  beautiful  teeth;  she  was  of  medium  height  and 
graceful  figure.  Her  manner  was  winning,  impulsive,  and  of 
sparkling  vivacity.  She  was  somewhat  willful  and  capricious  in 
her  mode  of  address.  She  was  a  Southern  beauty,  and  in  a  small 
community  once  having  been  placed  on  the  pedestal  of  a  goddess 
the  illusion  forever  remained. 

She  was  high  spirited,  admired  genius  and  originality  of  char- 
acter, was  just  the  woman  to  dare  the  chances  of  matrimony  and 
face  the  uncertainties  of  fortune. 

She  used  to  say  that  on  the  first  occasion  she  saw  Mr.  Petigru, 
he  was  dancing  with  her  mother,  and  she  thought  he  was  the  most 
awkward  man  she  had  ever  seen.  His  legs  went  in  one  direction 
and  his  arms  in  the  other,  regardless  of  the  time  of  the  music, 
and  his  face  showed  the  greatest  delight  and  self-satisfaction. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  59 

At  that  time  he  would  have  given  his  little  finger  to  have  been 
able  to  dance  gracefully.  During  the  courtship,  which  must 
have  dragged  somewhat,  she  consulted  her  friend,  Judge  Huger, 
who  said  to  her,  "Jane,  if  Petigru  ever  asks  you  to  marry  him 
be  sure  to  do  so." 

In  a  short  time  Petigru's  hopes  were  realized.  The  original 
marriage  settlement  shows  that  he  and  Miss  Postell  were  mar- 
ried on  August  17,  1816,  by  his  old  school  teacher,  Dr.  Waddell, 
at  the  farm  of  her  grandfather.  Colonel  Postell,  not  far  from 
Badwell. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Miss  Postell  was  Paul  Porcher, 
2d,  the  great  grandson  of  the  emigrant.  He  was  the  progen- 
itor of  the  Black  Swamp  Porchers.  His  brother,  Peter,  was  the 
progenitor  of  the  San  tee  Porchers.  The  Porchers  were  great 
people;  and  like  many  of  the  Huguenots  of  South  Carolina,  their 
genealogical  records  are  to  be  found  in  the  old  books  of  heraldry. 

Paul  Porcher,  2d,  married  Jinsey  Jackson,  July  6,  1775,  and 
probably  her  people  gave  the  name  to  the  town  of  Jacksonboro, 
S.  C*  The  other  grandfather  of  Miss  Postell,  Colonel  James 
Postell  of  Abbeville,  had  been  an  officer  during  the  Revolution 
— one  of  Marion's  right-hand  men.  On  account  ot  a  bullet  hole, 
whenever  he  drank  water  he  had  to  apply  his  finger  to  his  cheek. 
At  the  age  of  seventy,  although  many  times  a  grandfather,  this 
enterprising  old  soldier  married  the  belle  of  the  district,  Miss 
Sally  Birtwhistle,  a  handsome,  dashing  girl  of  sixteen.  He 
always  treated  her  with  great  consideration,  and  with  pride 
spoke  of  her  as  "that  young  heifer."  When  he  died  he  left  her 
all  his  possessions.  The  widow  afterwards  married  Mr.  Huston. 
Her  descendants  are  well-to-do  people  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  who 
delight  to  speak  of  Mr.  Petigru's  visits  and  friendship  tor  their 
mother,  whom  he  always  most  deferentially  hailed  as  "Grand- 
ma. 

Mr.  Petigru's  gentle  mother  would  have  been  pleased  with 
her  daughter-in-law  beyond  measure  if  she  could  have  tempered 
a  gay  defiant  nature  and  taste  for  fashionable  lite  with  something 
of  the  elder  lady's  constancy  of  spirit  and  quiet  self-control.  As 
it  was,  the  bride  charmed  every  one  as  she  pleased,  her  young 


*See  will  of  Captain  John  Jackson,  probated  January  5,  1724;  and  will  of  Cap- 
tain John  Jackson,  probated  May,  1748;  The  S.  C.  Historical  and  Genealogical 
Magazine,  Vol.  XI,  p.  13. 


60  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

sisters  of  the  household  especially,  with  her  lively  and  unaffected 
manners  and  the  grace  and  loveliness  of  her  face  and  person.  At 
the  close  of  the  summer  the  young  couple  returned  to  their  home 
at  Coosawhatchie.  Here  they  were  received  by  their  dear  friend 
Dr.  Edward  North,  who  afterward  removed  to  Charleston. 
Dr.  North  occupied  during  the  winter  season  a  plantation  near 
the  town  called  Northampton,  and  the  newly  arrived  pair  from 
Abbeville  spent  their  first  winter  after  their  marriage  at  his  place. 
During  the  year  1818,  at  a  hired  house  in  Coosawhatchie,  their 
eldest  son  Albert  Porcher  was  born.  Some  time  after  the  family 
removed  to  a  new  house  built  by  Mr.  Petigru  himself  in  the  out- 
skirts of  the  village.  It  stood  on  the  main  road  about  a  mile 
south  of  the  court-house;  it  was  the  best  building  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  the  successful  architect  of  his  own  fortune  took  some 
pride  in  this  portion  of  his  handiwork.  He  used  to  say  that  he 
had  made  his  mark  in  the  village  borders.  It  was  the  first 
trophy  of  success.  The  house  passed  from  him  to  Dr.  Francis  Y. 
Porcher,  a  first  cousin  of  his  wife,  and  after  changing  hands  several 
times  finally  disappeared,  and  its  site  during  the  Civil  War  was 
a  camp  and  parade  ground  for  troops  of  the  Confederacy. 

At  the  end  of  1819  Mr.  Petigru's  practice  had  greatly  increased 
and  by  the  urgent  advice  of  many  friends  he  removed  from 
Coosawhatchie  to  Charleston.  It  was  difficult  for  the  young 
couple  to  find  a  suitable  house  at  moderate  rent,  and  here  for 
some  months  they  again  found  a  temporary  home  with  their 
steadfast  friends,  the  Norths,  who  had  preceded  them  in  moving 
their  household  gods  to  the  city.  Their  house  was  in  Queen 
Street. 

While  here  their  second  child  was  born,  January  4,  1820,  and 
called  Jane  Caroline,  after  Mrs.  North.  In  two  months  from 
that  time  they  took  possession  of  the  house  in  King  Street  near 
Smiths  Lane;  and  each  year,  as  their  circumstances  improved, 
they  removed  to  better  quarters.  Their  third  removal  was  to  a 
residence  on  South  Bay,  next  door  to  Mrs.  Grimke's. 

At  this  place,  March  1,  1822,  their  second  son  was  born  and 
was  named  after  his  god-father,  Daniel  Elliot  Huger. 

After  two  years  they  moved  to  Orange  Street,  nearly  opposite 
to  Mr.  J.  R.  Pringle. 

It  was  here,  October  25,  1824,  that  their  youngest  girl  was 
added  to  the  household,  now  including  two  sons  and  two  daugh- 


"James  Louis  Petigru  61 

ters.  She  was  named  Susan  Dupont,  after  her  god-mother,  the 
most  intimate  friend  of  Mrs.  Petigru. 

On  August  27,  1826,  Mr.  Petigru  was  elected  solicitor  for  St. 
Michael's  Church,  and  subsequently  he  became  a  vestryman. 
He  continued  to  exercise  both  functions  for  the  remainder  of  his 
life. 

A  deed  dated  15th  of  June,  1829,  shows  that  James  H.  Ladson 
sold  pew  No.  79  for  $600  to  James  L.  Petigru.* 

Mr.  Petigru  was  by  nature  emotional,  passionate  and  deeply 
religious.  His  course  through  life  was  marked  by  self-denial, 
devotion  to  truth,  and  a  reverence  for  all  the  great  historical 
churches.  He  inherited  from  his  Huguenot  ancestor  a  spirit 
of  martyrdom,  but  his  mind  was  too  catholic  for  the  Calvinistic 
creed  in  which  he  was  nurtured.  He  no  doubt  understood  much 
of  the  science  of  theology,  but  he  was  not  a  blind  follower  of  eccle- 
siasticism  or  theological  dogma.  He  was  an  humble  follower  of 
Christ  and  his  religion  was  on  a  plane  far  above  ignorant  bigotry. 
He  was  a  constant  worshiper  in  the  Episcopal  church  although 
he  never  became  a  communicant. 


*The  original  records  show:  "I,  Sarah  Gibbes,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the 
love  and  affection  I  bear  unto  my  son,  Louis  Ladson  Gibbes,  have  given  *  *  * 
my  pew  in  St.  Michael's  Church,  situated  on  the  north  side  of  said  church. 
*  *  *  "  Dated  9th  day  of  November,  1816.  In  1826  Louis  L.  Gibbes,  of 
Pendleton,  sells  pew  No.  79,  on  the  north  side  of  St.  Michael's  Church,  to  James 
H.  Ladson  for  ?500. 


62  -^(Z^,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XII 

1820 

Law  Practice  in   Charleston;  Law  Office  and  Garden; 

Cases 

The  change  from  Coosawhatchie  to  the  city  was  made  easy 
by  an  offer  of  partnership  with  his  friend  James  Hamilton,  Jr.* 
Colonel  Drayton  had  been  elected  Recorder  of  the  City  of 
Charleston  and  had  transferred  to  Mr.  James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  a 
large  portion  of  his  business  at  the  bar.  Mr.  Hamilton  was  a 
person  of  great  personal  magnetism,  brilliancy  of  speech,  and  a 
keen  manager  of  political  parties.  He  was  sanguine,  visionary, 
and  given  to  speculations,  and  he  was  not  a  thoroughly  read 
lawyer.  The  partnership  was,  therefore,  mutually  advantage- 
ous— the  one  found  the  business,  and  the  other  the  principles  of 
law.  From  this  partnership  originated  the  most  dramatic  and 
serious  events  of  the  life  of  Mr.  Petigru. 

The  removal  to  Charleston  was  a  great  step  in  advance.  At 
that  time  the  population  of  the  city  was  about  25,000 — 14,000 
of  whom  were  blacks.  It  ranked  fifth  in  population,  and  third 
in  point  of  commercial  importance  among  the  cities  of  the  Union. 
Although  not  offering  the  same  opportunities  as  it  had  offered 
immediately  after  the  Revolution,  it  still  afforded  high  prizes 
for  both  reputation  and  fortune. 

The  Bar  of  Charleston  was  considered  among  the  first  in  the 
land.  It  was  composed  of  such  men  as  Hayne,  Grimke,  Drayton, 
Mitchell,  King,  Bailey,  Simons — men  of  the  highest  culture  and 
attainments,  who  gave  purity  and  dignity  to  the  practice  and 
profession  of  the  law. 

The  records  show  that  on  January  1,  1820,  William  Drayton 
sold  to  James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  a  lot  in  St.  Michael's  alley,  35  feet 
front  by  45  feet  deep,  for  $2,500.  The  office  of  Mr.  Petigru  was 
ever  afterwards  at  this  location. 


*He  was  the  son  of  Major  James  Hamilton,  of  the  Revolution,  who  married  the 
widow  of  John  Harleston,  oV  The  Villa''  Plantation  on  Cooper  River;  she  was 
the  sister  of  Thos.  Lynch,  Jr.,  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 


'James  Louis  Petigrii  63 

The  young  firm  was  not  at  once  overburdened  with  business. 
Mr.  Petigru  often  remarked  in  after  life  that  he  was  indebted 
to  the  good  people  of  Charleston  for  much  of  the  leisure  to  pur- 
sue his  studies  during  his  first  two  years  at  the  bar  in  the  city. 

The  following  is  a  characteristic  and  rather  significant  letter 
which  he  writes  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  A.  Yates,  August  13,  1822, 
regarding  her  son,  J.  D.  Yates,  a  law  student  in  his  office: 

TO  MRS.   ELIZABETH   A.   VATES 

As  you  have  recommended  him  to  my  care  I  will  henceforth 
look  on  him  as  more  particularly  in  my  charge  and  not  simply  to 
supply  the  place  of  a  monitor  to  him,  if  any  occasion  for  the 
exercise  of  that  authority  should  present  itself. 

I  am  not,  however,  friendly  to  the  plan  of  lecturing  the  young 
on  all  occasions,  nor  do  I  think  it  good  policy  to  give  advice 
often  when  it  is  not  asked.  But  he  will  find  a  friend  in  me  while 
his  behavior  is  commendable,  and  when  it  is  not  (if  that  should 
ever  be  the  case)  I  will  use  the  authority  which  you  have  en- 
trusted to  me  of  admonishing  him  of  his  errors. 

In  1822  Hamilton,  as  Intendant  of  the  City,  rendered  himself 
exceedingly  popular  in  the  State  by  his  energy  and  firmness  in 
circumventing  a  threatened  insurrection  of  the  negroes.  This 
insurrection  had  been  organized  by  Denmark  Vesey,*  and  Gullah 
Jack,  an  African  who  was  considered  by  his  people  to  be  "voodoo 
man,"  and  consequently  immortal.  At  the  end  of  this  year 
Hamilton  was  elected  to  Congress  and  Robert  Y.  Hayne,  who 
was  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  was  elected  to  the  United 
States  Senate.  Mr.  Petigru  was  then  elected  by  the  Legislature 
to  the  oflice  of  Attorney-General. 

It  was  an  office  of  profit,  influence  and  dignity,  and  made  him 
legal  adviser  of  the  State  authorities  and  the  official  head  of  the 
entire  bar.  His  presence  was  required  at  the  capital  with  the 
State  solicitors  during  the  sessions  of  the  Legislature,!  and  every 
bill  introduced  had  to  be  scrutinized  by  these  officials  as  to  the 
efficiency  of  its  form  and  style  before  it  became  a  law.  The 
consequence  was  that  the  statutes  of  South  Carolina,  for  eight 
years,  could  challenge  a  comparison  with  those  of  any  other  State 
in  language  and  structure. 

*A  West  Indian  muLitto,  who  had  bought  his  freedom  by  winning  a  prize,  in  one 
of  the  many  lotteries  of  the  day,  of  six  thousand  dollars. 

fThe  Attorney-General  at  that  time  performed  the  duties  of  Solicitor  at  Charles- 
ton and  Georgetown. 


64  I-'iJ^^  Letters  and  Speeches 

His  practice  at  the  bar  was  not  always  pleasant.  He  had 
many  opponents.  Many  of  them  were  fully  disposed  to  observe 
in  the  conflict  those  courtesies  of  practice  that  always  prevailed. 
But  there  was  one  exception. 

Benjamin  Faneuil  Hunt  was  born  at  Watertown,  Massachu- 
setts, on  the  20th  of  February,  1793,  and  died  in  New  York  on 
the  5th  of  September,  1857.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard. 
In  1810  he  moved  to  Charleston  on  account  of  his  health,  where 
he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1813.  He  was  a 
Union  man  during  the  Nullification  struggle,  and  as  colonel  of  a 
regiment  in  1833  he  insisted  on  applying  the  test  oath,  which  was 
decided  to  be  unconstitutional.  Benjamin  Faneuil  Dunkin, 
afterwards  Chief  Justice,  his  first  cousin,  came  to  Charleston  in 
1812.  He  adopted  the  politics  of  the  country,  and  in  1837 
became  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Chancery.  He  married  Miss 
Prentiss   and  a  number  of  descendants  perpetuate  the  name. 

It  is  said  that  when  Mr.  Hunt  first  came  to  Carolina  he  showed 
in  the  conduct  of  some  of  his  earliest  cases  what  was  supposed 
by  some  to  be  a  lack  of  spirit.  It  is  a  matter  of  tradition  that 
on  hearing  of  this  his  cousin,  Mr.  Dunkin,  sent  him  the  message, 
"If  you  expect  to  stay  in  this  State,  you  must  fight."  The 
message  wrought  an  immediate  transformation.  He  flew  at 
once  into  the  opposite  extreme  and  became  thereafter  ofi^ensively 
aggressive,  and  even  to-day  he  is  spoken  of  as  "Bully  Hunt." 
We  learn  from  Mr.  Grayson  that  he  was  an  able  speaker  and 
good  lawyer;  bold,  rude,  regardless  of  respect  to  opposing  counsel, 
witnesses  or  clients,  and  unscrupulous  as  to  the  language  in 
which  he  expressed  his  contempt;  skilled  in  cajoling  the  jury  and 
bullying  the  judge,  a  little  sensitive  as  to  his  own  feelings  and 
utterly  without  regard  to  the  feelings  of  others.  One  purpose 
only  seemed  to  govern  him,  that  of  gaining  his  case  at  all  hazards. 
He  was  a  formidable  adversary,  and  the  lawyers  of  the  old  school 
were  reluctant  to  encounter  his  rude  assaults. 

But  in  the  newcomer  from  the  country  court  he  found  no 
reluctant  adversary — a  deeper  intellect  than  his  own,  a  stronger 
moral  nature,  a  resolute  persistency  of  spirit  that  nothing  could 
daunt,  weary  or  deceive.  No  craft  evaded  Petigru's  vigilance. 
No  show  of  violence  stopped  his  resolute  exposure  of  irregularity 
in  his  opponent's  practice.  The  contest  went  on  month  after 
month.     It  assumed  the  most  threatening  forms.     It  seemed, 


\ 


James  Louis  Petigru  65 

indeed,  as  if  the  death  alone  of  one  of  the  parties  could  put  an 
end  to  the  struggle.  A  challenge  passed  at  one  time,  but  the 
feud  had  a  sudden  and  unexpected  ending.  By  a  terrible  acci- 
dent Mr.  Petigru  lost  his  eldest  son.  Mr.  Hunt  addressed  a  note 
of  sympathy  to  the  afflicted  parent  and  requested  that  the  an- 
tagonism between  them  should  cease.  Mr.  Hunt,  speaking  to 
the  Honorable  Joseph  D.  Pope  in  after  years  of  Mr.  Petigru's 
power  as  an  orator,  used  the  following  language:  "His  learning 
is  great;  but  it  is  not  that.  His  reasoning  faculty  is  large;  but 
it  is  not  that.  It  is  his  quaint,  original,  magnetic  eloquence. 
When  his  feelings  are  enlisted  he  is  the  greatest  public  speaker 
I  have  ever  heard,  and  I  have  heard  them  all." 

Mr.  Petigru  had  prepared  for  his  duel  with  Hunt  with  his  usual 
industry  and  determination.  He  bought  from  Hapholdt — the 
best  gunmaker  in  the  country — a  practice  dueling  pistol  for  one 
hundred  dollars.  It  had  an  eleven-inch  barrel,  hair  trigger,  and 
carried  a  one  ounce  ball.  In  being  rifled  it  differed  from  the  reg- 
ular dueling  pistol.  He  practiced  diligently  and  became  a  good 
shot. 

Some  thirty  years  after  this  event  one  of  the  boys  found  the 
pistol  in  the  drawer  of  an  old  secretary  at  Badwell.  Of  course 
he  must  give  it  a  trial.  While  engaged  in  shooting  at  the  mark 
Mr.  Petigru  happened  to  pass.  He  asked  to  see  the  pistol,  which 
he  examined  with  great  care  and  interest,  saying  that  it  reminded 
him  of  many  years  ago.  The  boy  bantered  him  to  try  a  shot; 
he  adjusted  the  hair  trigger  carefully  and  at  the  word  fired. 
He  put  the  ball  in  the  center  of  the  sapling  about  fifty  feet  dis- 
tant. The  boy  wanted  him  to  try  again  but  he  laughed  and  said: 
"My  young  friend,  you  will  find  that  when  you  have  made  a 
lucky  hit,  it  is  a  good  rule  to  leave  well  enough  alone.  You  will 
find  the  statement  illustrated  by  my  friend  Judge  Longstreet* 
in  'Georgia  Scenes.'"  Then  sitting  on  the  carpenter's  bench 
under  the  walnut-tree,  with  great  humor  in  voice  and  gesture, 
he  repeated  the  story  of  Billy  Curlew  and  Soap-stick  from  Long- 
street's  book. 

The  pistol  was  by  accident  saved  during  the  war.  It  is  still 
in  good  condition  and  is  preserved  by  a  member  of  his  family  as 
one  of  the  few  remaining  relics  of  Mr,  Petigru. 

*A.  B.  Longstreet,  LL.  D.,  a  pupil  at  Dr.  Waddell's  Academy,  and  afterwards 
President  of  South  Carolina  College. 


66  ^(/"^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

In  the  year  1829  General  Joseph  W.  Allston,  of  Georgetown, 
S.  C,  was  placed,  both  as  magistrate  and  as  general  of  the  mil- 
itia, in  a  position  of  great  responsibility,  by  an  attempted  insur- 
rection among  the  negro  slaves.  Troops  and  arms  were  sent 
from  Charleston,  and  for  a  time  great  alarm  was  felt  throughout 
the  State.  Order  was  promptly  restored,  but  the  task  of  dis- 
covering, trying  and  punishing  the  ringleaders  was  slow  and 
laborious. 

Allston  seems  to  have  written  to  Mr,  Petigru,  the  Attorney- 
General,  to  ask  if  the  Clerk  of  Court  could,  ex  officio,  act  as  one 
of  the  magistrates  on  the  Freeholders'  Court.  This  Mr.  Petigru 
seems  to  doubt,  and  writes  thus  under  date  of  April  17,  1829: 

I  am  sorry  that  your  labors  are  so  arduous.  I  think  the  Gov- 
ernor should  be  called  on  to  appoint  more  magistrates,  and  if 
names  were  recommended  to  him  he  would  no  doubt  do  so.  But 
then  they  would  not  be  obliged  to  accept. 

I  am  afraid  you  will  hang  half  the  country.  You  must  take 
care  and  save  negroes  enough  for  the  rice  crop.  It  is  to  be  con- 
fessed that  your  proceedings  have  not  been  bloody  as  yet,  but 
the  length  of  the  investigation  alarms  us  with  apprehension  that 
you  will  be  obliged  to  punish  a  great  many. 

In  the  newspapers  of  the  day  we  find  Petigru's  name  con- 
stantly mentioned  as  attending  meetings  and  making  speeches  for 
a  survey  of  the  South  Carolina  Railroad,  and  for  a  drainage  canal 
connecting  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  rivers,  and  for  various  pur- 
poses which  would  promote  the  welfare  of  the  city. 

The  poor  and  oppressed  found  him  a  zealous  and  untiring 
friend,  and  he  was  ever  ready  to  espouse  the  cause  of  some  poor 
woman,  the  victim  of  a  hard  system,  and  most  generally  not  able 
to  pay  anything  for  his  services.  The  rights  of  the  free  negroes 
he  was  always  defending.  He  was  the  champion  to  whom  they 
flew  as  a  sure  refuge.  In  some  of  the  adjoining  parishes,  notably 
on  Goose  Creek,  there  were  many  unfortunate  men  accused  of 
having  negro  blood  in  their  veins.  He  established  their  claim  to 
being  white,  and  in  later  years  they  showed  their  gratitude 
by  always  voting  with  him,  and  were  known  as  the  "Goose 
Creekers  whom  he  had  whitewashed." 

He  continued  to  perform  his  official  and  other  duties,  and  as 
he  expressed  it,  "My  success  has  been  at  least  equal  to  my  de- 
serts."    The  country  since  the  War  of  1812  had  been  quiet  and 


James  Louis  Peligru  67 

prosperous,  but  during  the  last  decade  serious  political  changes 
had  occurred.  In  1828  the  ill-judged  "tariff  of  abominations" 
had  been  passed  and  the  discontent  and  irritation  of  the  people 
which  had  long  been  smouldering  brought  forth  the  explosion 
of  Nullification.  It  divided  the  States,  parties,  and  friends. 
The  position  of  Mr.  Petigru,  as  the  disciple  of  Alexander  Hamil- 
ton, a  Federalist,  and  as  one  who  considered  the  Union  sacred, 
was  well  known.  Therefore,  considering  the  imminent  danger 
of  the  country,  and  in  compliance  with  the  wishes  of  his  friends, 
he  in  1830  resigned  the  office  of  Attorney-General  and  became  a 
candidate  for  the  State  Senate. 

The  law  office  in  St.  Michael's  Alley  before  and  since  the  War 
has  always  been  associated  with  Mr.  Petigru.  But  according 
to  tradition  it  was  in  Colonial  times  the  favorite  place  for  the 
gallants  of  those  days  to  hold  their  meetings. 

In  1820  William  Drayton*  sold  to  Hamilton  and  Petigru  a  plot 
in  St.  Michael's  Alley,  35  feet  front  by  45  feet  deep,  for  $2,500; 
and  three  years  later  Hamilton  sold  his  share  to  Petigru.  Mr. 
Petigru  occupied  this  building  until  1848,  when  finding  it  incon- 
venient for  his  business  and  many  students,  he  decided  to  build 
a  new  office.  He  accordingly  bought  an  adjoining  lot  29  by  49  feet 
for  $1,200,  employed  Mr.  E.  B.  Whitef  as  architect,  and  com- 
menced building  in  October,  1848. 

The  new  office  covered  a  space  47  feet  by  25  feet;  was  two 
stories  high;  of  rough  cast  brick;  and  followed  in  miniature  the 
graceful  lines  of  a  Greek  temple. 

Petigru  occupied  the  large  room  on  the  second  floor.  It  was 
surrounded  by  book  shelves  from  floor  to  ceiling.  The  furniture 
consisted  of  a  large  mahogany  table,  some  chairs  and  a  step-lad- 
der. On  one  side  of  the  room  was  his  writing-desk;  he  always 
stood  up  when  he  wrote  because  he  considered  it  self-indulgence 
to  do  so  sitting  down.  Johnston  Pettigrew  used  the  adjoining 
room.  The  lower  floor  was  occupied  by  his  partner,  the  students 
and  law  clerks.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1849,  Mr.  Petigru  occupied 
the  new  office.  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Carson,  describing  the 
installation,  says:  "He  waited  for  me  to  come  from  Dean  Hall 

•Recorded,  books  K.  and  M.  9,  pages  146  and  176. 

jMr.  White  graduated  at  West  Point  in  the  class  of  1826.     The  works  that  he 

left  behind  him  show  that  he  was  a  skilled  architect. 


68  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

to  help  him  move  and  arrange  the  books.  Sue  joined  to  make 
it  a  party  of  pleasure  and  summoned  Lowndes,  Miles,  Hayne, 
et  al.,  as  assistants.  We  pasted  Mr.  Petigru's  name  in  each  of 
the  good  and  new  books;  and  as  we  read  the  price  of  them, — one 
pound,  two  pounds,  and  oftentimes  more, — Sue  would  protest 
and  lament  so  much  should  be  paid  for  a  dry  law  book  which 
would  have  bought  her  so  much  finery.  There  was  a  crest  Mr. 
Petigru  had  chosen,  a  crane,  and  a  motto  I  forget,  with  his  name, 
which  I  mostly  pasted  myself  in  each  book." 

In  1864  Mr.  Lesesne  as  executor  sold  the  building  and  land  for 
$14,000  Confederate  money,  equivalent  at  that  time  to  about 
one-fifth  of  its  cost.  For  a  number  of  years  after  the  war  it  was 
occupied  as  a  dwelling  by  negroes.  It  has  recently  been  reno- 
vated and  converted  into  a  small  modern  flat. 

From  a  letter  from  Chancellor  Lesesne  we  find  that  in  1863 
the  office  building  being  directly  in  the  line  of  the  shelling  of  the 
town,  Mr.  Petigru's  books  were  packed,  and  with  a  number  of 
tin  boxes  containing  the  papers  labelled  with  the  clients'  names, 
were  transported  to  Columbia  and  placed  in  the  library  room  of 
the  Euphradian  Society  of  the  South  Carolina  College  and  the 
door  locked.  There  they  remained  safely  during  the  War. 
After  the  fall  of  Columbia,  1865,  the  key  was  demanded  by 
Colonel  Haughton  and  delivered  to  him.  The  military  occupied 
the  building.  The  library  room  of  the  Society  was  on  the  third 
story.  The  two  lower  stories  were  used  as  guard  rooms  and 
sentinels  were  always  posted  in  the  passages  at  the  doors. 

In  the  following  November  it  was  found  that  the  door  had 
been  forced  open,  the  lock  broken,  the  books  scattered;  many  of 
them  with  covers  torn  ofi^,  tattered  and  defaced;  the  tin  boxes 
had  disappeared  and  their  contents  lay  scattered  over  the  floor, 
soiled  and  torn.  The  matter  was  reported  to  General  Ames, 
who  expressed  great  regret  at  the  outrage;  he  remarked  that  the 
troops  had  become  demoralized  and  were  not  under  control. 
Through  his  efforts  a  few  boxes,  books  and  papers  were  recov- 
ered. 

In  1867,  out  of  respect  for  Mr.  Petigru,  Congress  bought  his 
Law  Library — the  money,  five  thousand  dollars,  to  be  applied 
expressly  for  the  use  of  his  wife.  The  books  were  placed  in  the 
Capitol  Library  at  W'ashington. 

Mrs.  Carson  writes:  "  In  after  years  when  I  visited  the  Capitol 


James  Louis  Petigru  69 

at  Washington  I  was  shocked  to  see  the  shabby  appearance  of 
the  books.  Many  of  the  fine  calf-skin  bindings  had  been  torn, 
and  at  least  one-third  of  them  had  been  stolen  in  Columbia.  At 
the  ragged  remnant  I  was  ashamed  to  look,  whereas  I  had  ex- 
pected to  be  proud." 

Mr.  Petigru's  tastes  led  him  to  make  a  garden  opposite  his 
law  office,  this  being  the  only  indulgence  he  ever  permitted  him- 
self in  the  course  of  a  long  life  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  others. 

In  1841  he  bought  a  lot  96  feet  front  by  86  feet  deep,  for  35,250, 
so  that  the  garden  must  have  been  commenced  at  the  period 
when  he  was  beginning  to  see  his  way  out  of  debt. 

The  two  brick  buildings  on  the  site  were  removed,  and  in  the 
yard  there  happened  to  be  a  handsome  magnolia  tree  which  was 
retained  and  became  a  prominent  feature  of  the  garden.  The 
side  of  the  alley  was  enclosed  by  an  iron  fence  mounted  on  a 
brick  foundation,  and  the  entrance  was  between  two  massive 
pillars  of  brick  which  supported  a  heavy  iron  gate.  The  sur- 
rounding walls  were  covered  with  ivy. 

For  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  conservatory,  in  1851  he  bought 
an  adjoining  house  and  lot,  17  by  41  feet,  for  $600. 

But  here  again  his  character  displayed  itself.  An  old  cobbler 
lived  in  the  house  which  he  desired  to  pull  down;  but  he  would 
not  turn  out  this  old  man  and  he  not  only  suffered  the  daily  vex- 
ation of  the  ugly  old  building  which  marred  the  effect  of  his 
beautiful  garden,  but  he  prolonged  the  life  of  the  old  man  by 
giving  him  maintenance. 

From  old  receipts  it  is  found  that  in  after  years  he  employed 
Webb,  a  professional  gardener,  at  an  annual  salary  of  3150,  to 
supervise  the  work  of  the  negro  gardeners.  At  a  conservative 
estimate  this  garden  must  have  cost  for  land,  construction,  etc., 
$8,000,  and  for  annual  maintenance  and  taxes,  $200. 

Every  morning  before  work  he  visited  it  and  gave  minor  direc- 
tions to  the  workmen,  and  often  during  the  day  he  could  be  seen 
walking  there  like  Plato  in  the  groves  of  the  Academy.  Some- 
times he  would  be  twisting  a  lock  of  his  dark  brown  hair,  or 
again  with  both  hands  behind  his  back  and  as  was  his  wont 
always  talking  to  himself,  either  repeating  poetry  or  studying 
out  the  argument  of  some  case. 

Any  strange  plants  that  he  found  in  the  woods  he  immediately 
transferred  to  the  garden  for  cultivation,  and  often  he  would 


70  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

send  a  specimen  to  Professor  Louis  R.  Gibbes,  a  universal  scien- 
tist, with  a  note  requesting  the  botanical  name  and  "that  he 
would  pardon  the  curiosity  of  his  ignorant  friend." 

In  his  law  practice  if  an  old  Union  man  got  into  a  scrape  Mr. 
Petigru  was  ever  ready  to  extend  to  him  a  hand  of  encouragement 
or  assistance.  In  this  way  he  gave  his  professional  aid  to  a 
Union  man  in  the  case  of  the  State  versus  James  Clark.  It  was 
imputed  to  Clark  that  he  was  of  negro  blood.  There  were  many 
people  in  the  Goose  Creek  section  who  had  been  accused  in  the 
same  way.  They  were  all  Union  men.  Mr.  Petigru  defended 
James  Clark's  citizenship  and  political  rights.  After  one  or  two 
witnesses  had  been  heard  on  the  part  of  the  State,  Captain  Rear- 
den,  a  man  of  portly  mien  with  a  broad  good-humored  face,  was 
placed  on  the  stand.  Attorney-General  Bailey  inquired  whether 
the  witness  knew  James  Clark.  "  Certainly, "  he  replied;  "  know 
him  well."  "Is  he  a  white  man?"  "No."  "Do  you  know  his 
mother?"  "Yes."  "Is  she  white  or  negro?"  "Nigger." 
And  the  examination  ended  on  the  part  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Petigru  then  commenced  the  cross-examination  in  his 
usual  deliberate  fashion:  "Captain  Rearden,  I  am  told  that  you 
have  the  honor  to  fill  an  important  office  in  the  service  of  the 
State."  "I  do  not  know  what  you  mean,  Mr.  Petigru."  "Well 
then,  to  be  more  definite,  you  hold  the  commission  of  captain  of 
a  company  in  the  militia  of  South  Carolina?"  "Yes,  sir;  held 
it  ever  since  I  was  twenty-one. "  "Has  James  Clark  ever  turned 
out  in  the  ranks  under  your  command?"  "Always,  sir,  never 
missed;  regular  as  anybody."  "Very  well.  You  were  one  of 
the  judges  of  election  also,  I  believe.  Captain  Rearden?"  "Just 
so;  always  am;  they  will  appoint  me  at  Columbia  all  I  can  do." 
"Have  you  ever,  while  serving  as  judge,  received  James  Clark's 
vote  at  the  polls?"  "Certainly,  sir;  he  always  votes  punctually 
just  like  he  musters;  never  fails. "  "That  will  do,"  said  Petigru; 
"  I  have  nothing  more  to  ask. "  "  But,  sir, "  the  Captain  replied 
hurriedly,  suspecting  something  amiss,  "stop,  sir;  maybe  you  do 
not  understand;  let  me  explain,  sir.  In  each  parish  everybody 
musters  and  everybody  votes,  except  the  field  hands.  That  is 
the  reason,  sir,  the  Union  party,  you  know,  always  beat  us  at 
elections."  The  explanation  was  made  with  perfect  simplicity. 
The  Captain  merely  assigned  the  mode  in  which  his  party  was 
defeated,   without  suspecting  apparently   there  was    anything 


James  Louis  Petigru  71 

amiss  in  it.  It  was  the  approved  custom  of  his  parish  against 
which  he  had  no  notion  of  protesting.  He  was  anxious  only  that 
Mr.  Petigru  should  understand  the  nature  and  extent  of  their 
privileges.* 

*Grayson,  page  133. 


72  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XIII 

1826-1829 
Misfortunes;  his  Sisters,  and  Social  Life 

About  1826  Petigru  removed  to  the  house  in  Broad  street, 
afterwards  occupied  by  Dr,  Frost.  While  here  there  occurred 
within  a  few  days  three  of  the  severest  trials  of  his  life.  He  was 
about  to  fight  a  duel,  his  eldest  son  was  killed  by  accident,  and 
his  mother  died. 

The  following  letter,  in  language  beautiful  in  its  simplicity, 
describes  the  death  of  the  child  and  the  soul  of  a  strong  man  in 
agony: 

TO    JANE    petigru 

Charleston,  13  September,  1826. 
My  dear  Sister: 

No  hand  but  mine  must  write  what  God  knows  is  hard  for 
me  to  write.  My  Albert, — yes,  Albert  the  child  of  my  heart  is 
dead.  And  dead,  too,  in  such  a  way.  He  fell  from  the  head  of 
the  stair  case  down  to  the  first  floor,  on  Monday  about  a  quarter 
before  12  o'clock.  You  know  how  fond  he  was  of  climbing;  he 
had  mounted  upon  the  banister;  there  was  nobody  in  the  house 
but  the  servants;  none  saw  him  but  Becky;  he  was  supporting 
one  foot  on  a  small  board  that  leaned  against  the  balustrade  on 
the  top  step;  the  board  was  merely  tacked  to  the  balustrade;  it 
had  been  there  before  we  came  into  the  house;  one  leg  he  threw 
over  the  banister;  he  supported  one  foot  on  this  little  board;  it 
gave  way,  and  my  poor  child  fell  to  the  bottom.  I  suppose  it  is 
thirty  feet.  He  gave  one  scream,  as  he  fell,  but  no  scream  when 
he  reached  the  floor.  The  noise  was  heard  at  Mr.  White's  and 
Mrs.  Gibbes';  the  servants  raised  a  cry;  the  house  was  filled  with 
people;  they  took  him  up  as  dead;  they  rubbed  him,  they  applied 
salts  and  he  breathed.  It  was  ten  minutes  before  I  came. 
Judge  of  my  horror  when  I  kneeled  down  by  the  side  of  the  couch 
on  which  he  was  lying,  spoke  to  him, — him  to  whom  I  never  spoke 
that  he  did  not  answer  before,  looked  into  those  eyes  that  had  been 
so  bright  a  moment  before,  and  saw  nothing  but  stony  insensi- 
bility in  them.  Two  physicians.  Dr.  Ramsay  and  Dr.  Campbell, 
had  already  come;  Dr.  Porcher  and  Dr.  North  came  afterwards. 
Then  before  Dr.  North  came  your  sister;  she  was  carried  away 
insensible,  and  I  remained  stupid,  in  horror.  Life  seemed  to 
return  by  slow  degrees,  and  then  they  gave  us  hope,  but  I  knew 


i 


James  Louis  Petigru  73 

it  was  hoping  against  hope,  still  my  heart  received  and  caught 
at  it.  After  bleeding  him  he  was  carried  up  stairs,  and  then  we 
waited,  you  may  suppose  how,  to  see  it  sensibility  and  life  would 
return,  after  this  state  of  torpor  was  over.  Susan  Webb  and  Mr. 
Morris  sat  with  him;  I  was  with  them  that  night.  As  for  your 
sister  she  needed  a  nurse,  instead  of  discharging  the  office  of  one. 
I  was  even  so  far  comforted  by  the  accounts  of  others  who  had 
recovered  from  monstrous  blows,  that  I  slept  2  hours  that  night 
on  the  sofa,  but  the  morning  came,  Tuesday  morning,  he  was 
worse,  and  again  I  felt  the  torture  which  words  can  not  describe. 
I  wanted  to  write  to  you  then,  but  I  could  not  do  it  while  in  such 
awful  suspense.  Again  I  was  doomed  to  feel  the  deceitfulness 
of  hope.  At  the  end  of  24  hours  after  the  injury,  Tuesday  a  little 
before  twelve,  he  showed  signs  of  consciousness,  and  even  showed 
he  knew  me,  and  moved  his  hand  to  head  to  tell  me  where  his 
pain  was.  Oh  God,  how  my  heart  bounded  when  the  poor  child 
looked  at  me  and  I  saw  in  those  eyes  the  proof  of  consciousness 
and  that  he  knew  me.  But  it  was  for  a  moment  only;  he  re- 
turned to  the  same  torpid  state  and  in  spite  of  all  the  physicians 
could  do,  who  left  no  means  untried,  he  expired  this  morning  at 
20  minutes  before  1,  having  lived  almost  37  hours,  but  never 
having  spoken.  With  him  all  was  over  in  an  instant,  the  mo- 
ment of  his  fall  was  the  last  he  knew.  Your  sister  is  prostrated. 
She  still  calls  for  Albert,  her  Albert;  and  then  when  that  wild  fit 
is  over  complains  that  she  can  not  bring  her  mind  to  think  that 
he  is  dead.  I  am  crushed.  It  is  the  first  blow  I  have  ever  had. 
But  the  repeated  disappointments  that  the  changes  in  his  state 
during  those  37  hours  had  inflicted  on  me,  made  me  realize  the 
event  when  it  came.  They  laid  him  out  and  he  looked  beautiful. 
I  kneeled  down  by  him,  and  uttered  this  prayer: — "Oh  God,  I 
thank  Thee  that  thou  didst  bestow  on  me  this  child,  and  suffered 
him  to  remain  with  me  during  8  years  and  upwards,  as  a  most 
sweet  companion;  and  now  thou  hast  made  him  an  angel  of  light. 
Grant,  oh  Father,  that  his  parents  may  be  prepared  to  follow  him 
to  thy  Presence."  I  now  feel  easier.  I  have  gone  through  this 
narrative  for  you  and  mother  and  father,  the  little  girls  and  Tom, 
and  my  own  poor  children  that  are  with  you.  We  don't  know 
how  we  will  bring  them  now.  My  wife  can't  think  of  going, 
because  one  of  the  last  things  he  did — he  was  writing  a  letter  to 
Caroline,  she  shall  see  it  when  she  comes,  and  since  we  talked  of 
going,  he  constantly  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  with  us.  I  have 
written  all,  my  tears  have  stopped,  and  I  feel  better.     Adieu. 

Your  Brother. 
Wednesday,  12  o'clock. 

The  boy  was  the  greatest  pride  of  his  father;  his  loss  was  a 
sorrow  from  which  he  never  recovered.     On  the  anniversary  of 


74  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

his  death,  ever  afterwards,  he  withdrew  from  all  society  and  in 
absolute  seclusion  communed  with  his  own  heart. 

Calamities  never  come  singly,  and  the  day  after  the  death  of 
his  son,  his  mother  died.  He  had  loved  her  all  his  life  with  great 
tenderness  and  with  reverent  devotion  that  could  not  be  sur- 
passed. She  had  led  a  life  of  patient  sacrifice,  devoted  to  the 
love  and  training  of  her  children.  On  her  tomb  at  Badwell  we 
find  inscribed: 

To  the  memory 

of 

Mrs.  Louise  Petigru 

Nee  Gibert 

Born  in  Charleston,  14th  September 

1767 

Died  on  this  farm  where  she  had 

spent  more  than  forty  years  of  her  life 

14th,  September  1826 

This  memorial  is  placed  by  her 

children  who  are  indebted  to  her 

for  a  virtuous  education  to  which 

her  own  excellent  example 

contributed  the  best  of  lessons. 

Mr.  Petigru  and  his  wife  immediately  hastened  to  Badwell  to 
give  sympathy  and  aid.  The  household  consisted  of  his  father, 
and  his  five  sisters,  ranging  in  age  from  twenty-six  to  twelve 

years. 

His  brother.  Jack,  had  been  sent  west  to  seek  his  fortune. 

His  second  brother,  Thomas,  had  entered  the  Navy  as  mid- 
shipman in  1812. 

His  third  brother,  Charles,  whom  he  had  educated,  was  a  cadet 
at  West  Point,  where  he  graduated  in  the  famous  class  of  1829. 

His  chief  concern  was  about  his  sisters.  They  all  showed  their 
French  origin  and  were  handsome,  bright  and  attractive.  In 
passing,  it  may  be  said  that  the  physiognomy  of  the  brothers  was 
distinctly  Irish. 

He  desired  to  take  the  three  youngest  girls  to  his  home  and 
consulted  his  wife  on  the  subject.  It  was  no  small  matter  to  ask 
a  young  woman  devoted  to  fashionable  society  and  amusement, 
to  receive  into  her  household  three  green  country  girls  whom  she 


"James  Louis  Petigru  IS 

hardly  knew.  But  she  cheerfully  rose  to  the  occasion  and  agreed 
not  only  to  receive  them,  but  to  welcome  them.  Accordingly, 
leaving  the  two  elder  sisters  with  their  father  at  Badwell,  he 
brought  the  three  younger — Louise,  eighteen;  Adele,  sixteen,  and 
Harriet,  twelve — to  his  home  in  Charleston.  They  became  his 
constant  companions,  and  on  his  return  home  at  night,  after  a 
hard  day's  work,  he  devoted  himself  to  their  entertainment  and 
amusement.  With  parental  affection  he  attended  to  their  very 
liberal  education;  he  watched  over  their  future  happiness,  and 
was  their  guide,  philosopher  and  friend  even  after  they  were 
established  in  life. 

One  of  these  sisters  always  spoke  with  enthusiasm  of  the  way 
in  which  Mrs.  Petigru  did  everything  to  make  them  feel  at  home 
and  happy. 

In  1827  he  bought  a  summer  residence  at  the  east  end  of  Sulli- 
vans  Island.  This  he  used  until  1843,  when  he  moved  to  the 
more  convenient  west  end  of  the  island  to  a  house,  heavily  mort- 
gaged, that  he  obtained  from  General  James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  in 
exchange  for  a  debt. 

His  eldest  sister,  Jane,  married  on  13th  of  August,  1827,  John 
Gough  North,  the  son  of  Dr.  North,  who  was  Petigru's  friend 
when  he  practiced  law  at  Coosawhatchie. 

On  the  occasion  of  her  marriage,  Petigru  wrote  as  follows: 

TO  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Sullivans  Island,  31st  August,  1827. 
My  dear  Jane. 

The  last  mail  brought  your  letter  from  Pendleton  informing  us 
that  you  were  no  longer  Jane  Petigru.  Well — I  hope  you  will 
have  the  grace  to  be  a  good  wife,  and  that  your  husband  may 
give  a  good  account  of  you.  I  have  no  idea  that  a  woman  should 
marry  at  all,  unless  she  is  willing  to  devote  herself  heart  and  soul 
to  promote  the  good  of  her  husband.  Men  have  many  ways  to 
show  themselves  clever  fellows — the  service  of  the  State  in  peace 
and  war;  politics  and  religion,  all  are  before  them  to  choose,  and 
if  one  shines  in  these,  a  moderate  neglect  ot  home  and  family  is 
by  the  consent  of  mankind  conceded  to  him.  But  a  woman,  if 
she  has  a  sense  of  virtue  and  honor,  is  to  show  it,  like  Solomon's 
good  wife,  in  rising  betimes  and  setting  her  maidens  to  work.  I 
hope  you  are  now  quite  well,  and  North  too.  It  is  rather  a  bad 
beginning  that  you  should  have  been  both  sick  this  summer. 
But  the  summer  is  now  drawing  to  a  close  and  your  bad  begin- 
ning will  come,  I  hope,  to  a  good  ending.     Charleston  is  really 


76  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

very  sickly  and  I  am  glad  that  we  were  not  there  when  the  sick- 
ness commenced.  It  is  not  on  account  of  the  yellow  fever  only 
that  it  is  to  be  shunned,  but  there  is  a  prevalence  of  disease.  I 
was  in  town  on  Monday;  saw  Dr.  North,  who  seemed  to  be  as 
much  worsted  by  fatigue  as  I  ever  knew  him;  he  told  me  that  he 
had  paid  the  day  before  42  visits.  *  *  *  Your  sister  has  not 
been  of  late  so  well  as  she  was  at  first.  She  has  had  headaches 
of  late,  but  still  they  are  not  as  distressing  as  she  used  to  have  in 
town  and  she  thinks  highly  of  the  Island,  so  that  it  is  probable 
that  we  shall  come  here  again.  Make  me  kindly  remembered 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  North  and  assure  your  Mr.  North  of  my  regard. 
Adieu  my  dear  sister. 

Your  Brother. 

In  1828  Mr.  Petigru's  final  move  was  to  the  southwest  corner 
of  Broad  and  Friend  street,  now  Legate  street.  There  he  bought 
a  house  and  lot.  The  house  was  fifty  by  fifty  feet,  two  stories 
and  an  attic,  with  piazzas  at  each  story  on  the  front  and  back, 
extending  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  house.  The  lower  portion 
was  built  on  brick  walls;  the  rest  was  of  wood.  It  had  a  gabled 
roof,  of  slate,  and  dormer  windows.  One  entered  the  hall, 
twelve  feet  wide,  from  which  a  staircase  with  mahogany  rails  led 
to  the  top  of  the  house.  On  the  right  of  the  hall  was  the  parlor; 
to  the  left  were  two  rooms,  the  front  being  used  for  a  dining  room. 
The  upper  floor  was  divided  in  the  same  way.  The  rooms  were 
large  with  ceilings  twenty  feet  high.  In  each  room  there  was 
an  open  fireplace,  and  to  warm  the  house  must  have  been  difficult, 
but  in  those  days  it  was  considered  very  comfortable. 

The  lot  was  ninety-five  by  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  feet, 
surrounded  by  high  brick  walls  on  the  top  of  which,  according 
to  the  Barbadoes  practice,  were  broken  glass  bottles  supposed  to 
keep  out  marauders.  In  the  yard  there  was  a  brick  stable  and 
carriage  house,  and  other  brick  buildings,  for  the  numerous 
domestics  and  hangers-on;  the  attic  of  one  of  these  buildings  was 
constructed  as  a  wine  loft. 

In  those  days  it  was  the  custom  for  the  head  of  the  house,  fol- 
lowed by  his  servant  with  a  large  basket,  to  go  to  the  market, 
especially  on  Saturday  morning,  to  make  his  purchases  for  the 
Sunday  dinner.  On  one  occasion  Mr.  Petigru  met  Mr.  A.  hag- 
gling about  paying  a  dollar  for  a  beautiful  wild  turkey.  Mr.  A. 
finally  decided  that  he  would  not  buy  it  as  he  had  no  one  to  cook 
it,  upon  which  Mr.  Petigru  with  great  glee  said,  "As  my  daugh- 
ters have  been  brought  up  in  the  kitchen  I  will  buy  the  turkey." 


'James  Louis  Petigru  11 

One  of  the  greatest  delights  of  his  home  life  was  to  bring  home 
to  dinner  any  friend  whom  he  might  casually  meet.  Hugh  S.  Le- 
gate, William  Harper,  William  D.  Martin,  James  R.  Pringle, 
Alfred  Huger,  and  others  were  his  frequent  guests.  On  one  of 
these  occasions  a  countryman,  a  friend  of  his  boyhood,  dined 
there  in  company  with  many  distinguished  guests,  and  contin- 
ued, during  the  dinner,  to  address  Mr.  Petigru  as  '  Jim.' "  When 
the  guests  had  departed  one  of  his  sisters  remonstrated  with  him 
for  permitting  such  familiarity.  "Ah,  my  dear,"  said  he,  "if 
you  only  knew  how  few  people  there  are  who  call  me  'Jim.'  " 

He  led  the  life  of  a  hard-working  lawyer.  Breakfast  at  nine; 
dinner  at  three,  and  then  again  to  the  office,  remaining  there 
often  till  midnight.  In  the  winter  he  lived  in  the  city;  in  the 
summer  he  removed  his  family  to  SuUivans  Island. 

Here,  while  other  people  amused  themselves  either  by  driving 
or  sailing,  he  was  to  be  seen  about  sunset  alone  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  yard,  bent  over  pulling  up  cockspurs,  for  which  he  had 
a  pet  aversion;  at  the  same  time  always  talking  to  himself.  On 
Saturdays  he  would  occasionally  go  fishing;  though  not  much  of 
a  fisherman  he  enjoyed  the  fish  caught  by  his  friends  and  was 
always  the  life  and  soul  of  the  party.  During  July  and  August 
he  went  to  Abbeville  for  vacation,  which  he  enjoyed  like  a  school 
boy.     Sunday  was  a  day  of  rest  and  recreation. 

He  usually  had  a  dinner  party  when  he  received  his  friends  and 
the  many  distinguished  strangers  who  brought  letters  to  him. 
His  cook  was  a  noted  artist;  and  his  dinners  were  seasoned  with 
an  unfailing  supply  of  humor  and  wit  which  all  remembered 
with  delight. 

The  old  house  in  Broad  street  was  the  scene  of  his  boundless 
hospitality  until  it  was  burned  by  the  great  fire  in  1861. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1829,  his  third  sister,  Louise,  was 
married  at  Badwell  to  P.  J.  Porcher  of  Fairlawn  Plantation, 
Cooper  River. 

The  ordinary  routine  of  his  social  life  was  disturbed  at  the  end 
of  1830,  when,  much  against  his  will,  he  was  forced  into  politics. 


78  ^^/<?,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XIV 

1830-1831 

Defeated    as     Union    Candidate     for     State     Senator; 
Work  of  the  Union    Party 

The  views  of  Mr.  Petigru  were  well  known.  He  was  abso- 
lutely opposed  to  nullification  and  secession,  which  he  considered 
a  revolution  that  would  lead  to  war.  He  looked  upon  the  teach- 
ing of  the  leaders  as  madness  and  a  snare  and  delusion  destruc- 
tive to  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  the  people.  To  him  the 
Union  and  the  Constitution  were  things  sacred.  In  a  letter  on 
this  subject,  he  wrote:  "The  success  of  going  out  of  the  Union 
at  will  demonstrates  the  fallacy  of  attempting  to  combine  the 
principle  of  unity  with  that  of  the  separate  independence  of  the 
States,  and  makes  the  Constitution  a  cobweb,  and  when  it  comes 
to  be  so  considered  it  will  be  despised  and  disowned,  and  a  gen- 
eral disintegration  must  follow."  He  often  declared  that  under 
the  Constitution  each  State  and  each  citizen  enjoys  the  largest 
amount  of  independence,  freedom,  and  happiness,  and  that  its 
only  fault  was  that  it  was  too  good  for  human  nature  to  bear. 

He  was  recognized  as  a  leader  of  the  Union  party,  but  always 
with  great  modesty,  in  all  the  movements  he  placed  in  the  front 
rank  the  name  of  Mr.  Poinsett,  Mr.  Drayton  or  some  of  his  other 
friends.  Some  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  Union  party 
did  lean  towards  "States'  Rights,"  a  doctrine  always  flattering 
to  the  southern  mind.  State  rights  aside  from  the  Union  he 
could  not  abide.  He  was  essentially  conservative,  but  a 
thorough  Democrat.  The  majority  of  the  Roman  Republic 
was  always  in  his  mind,  but  to  Demos  he  never  bent. 

The  people  were  all  enemies  of  the  tariff  system,  but  divided 
on  the  subject  of  nullification.  A  great  dinner  given  at  the 
Hibernian  Hall,  Charleston,  was  made  the  occasion  of  publicly 
arraigning  prominent  men  upon  the  question  of  nullification. 
Mr.  Petigru,  although  closely  allied  in  business  with  James 
Hamilton,  Jr.,  a  supporter  of  nullification,  refused  to  attend, 
and  William  Gilmore  Simms,  then  editing  the  City  Gazette* 

♦July  1,  1830. 


'James  Louis  Peti^u  79 

called  attention  to  the  fact  that  while  the  voting  strength  of  the 
city  was  2,800  only  430  tickets  were  taken  up  by  the  doorkeepers 
at  the  dinner. 

The  leaders  of  the  Free  Trade  States'  Rights  party  were  James 
Hamilton,  Jr.,  Robert  Y.  Hayne,  H.  L.  Pinckney,  R.  J.  Turn- 
bull  ("Brutus"),  George  McDuffie,  William  C.  Preston  and 
others.  These  were  known  as  Nullifiers;  and  their  enemies 
called  them  "fire  eaters."    They  were  all  disciples  of  Calhoun. 

The  leaders  of  the  Union  States'  Rights  party  were  J.  R. 
Poinsett,  William  Drayton,  J.  R.  Pringle,  Judge  D.  E.  Huger, 
J.  L.  Petigru,  B.  F.  Hunt,  B.  F.  Dunkin,  Henry  Middleton;  and 
of  the  younger  men  were  H.  S.  Legare,  C.  G.  Memminger,  Rich- 
ard Yeadon.  They  were  known  as  "Unionists,"  and  also 
taunted  as  "submissionists." 

The  following  letters  of  Mr.  Petigru  show  the  condition  of 
affairs  at  this  time. 

In  a  letter  of  1830,  he  says  to  an  old  friend  of  the  opposite 
party:* 

You  and  I  will  never  dispute  much  on  politics,  and  not  at  all 
on  anything  else.  There  is  less  difference  between  us  than 
between  some  who  are  on  the  same  side.  Nevertheless,  we  dif- 
fer more  than  I  ever  supposed  we  would  about  anything.  I  am 
devilishly  puzzled  to  know  whether  my  friends  are  mad,  or  I 
beside  myself,  l.et  us  hope  we  shall  make  some  discovery  before 
long  which  will  throw  some  light  on  the  subject  and  give  the 
people  the  satisfaction  o\  knowing  whether  they  are  in  their 
right  minds.  When  poor  Judge  W.  used  to  fancy  himself  a 
teapot,  people  thought  he  was  a  hypochondriac;  but  there  are  in 
the  present  day  very  good  heads  filled  with  notions  that  seem  to 
me  not  less  strange.  That  we  are  treated  like  slaves,  that  we  are 
slaves  in  tact,  that  we  are  worse  than  slaves  and  made  to  go  on 
all  fours,  are  stories  that  seem  to  me  very  odd,  and  make  me 
doubt  whether  I  am  not  under  some  mental  eclipse,  since  I  can't 
see  what  is  so  plain  to  others.  But  I  am  not  surprised  that  the 
people  have  been  persuaded  they  are  ill  used  by  the  government. 
Old  Hooker  says,  "If  any  man  will  go  about  to  persuade  the 
people  that  they  are  badly  governed,  he  will  not  fail  to  have 
plenty  of  followers."  And  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the  better 
the  polity  under  which  men  live,  the  easier  it  is  to  persuade  them 
they  are  cruelly  oppressed. 

Again  in  another  letter,  in  the  year  1830,  he  says  if 

♦Grayson,  pp.  118  to  120. 
tGrayson,  p.  119. 


80  ^(/<?j  Letters  and  Speeches 

You  remark  that  in  Beaufort  you  are  all  trying  to  become 
more  religious  and  more  state-rights.  The  connection  between 
the  two  pursuits  is  not  so  obvious  at  first  sight  as  it  becomes  on 
a  closer  inspection;  for  as  it  is  the  business  of  religion  to  wean  us 
from  the  world,  the  object  may  be  well  promoted  by  making  the 
world  less  fit  to  live  in.  And,  although  I  do  not  myself  sub- 
scribe to  the  plan,  I  am  fain  to  confess  many  excellent  men  have 
thought  that  the  making  a  hell  upon  earth  is  a  good  way  of  being 
sure  of  a  place  in  heaven.  But  I  am  tired  of  harassing  myself 
with  public  affairs,  and  wish  I  could  attend  more  closely  to  my 
own,  and  had  more  of  the  taste  for  gain — the  sacra  fames  auri. 
But  I  am  afraid  the  bump  of  acquisitiveness  is  omitted  with  me  un- 
accountably, and  that  I  might  as  well  try  for  music  or  dancing  as 
for  State-rights  and  faith  in  Jefferson,  which  seems  admirably  cal- 
culated to  serve  one  in  this  world,  whatever  it  may  do  in  the  next. 

In  those  days  when  a  man,  either  lawyer,  doctor  or  merchant, 
had  achieved  some  success  in  life,  to  buy  a  rice  plantation  was 
considered  the  proper  thing  to  do.  To  restrain  Mr.  Petigru's 
lavish  hand  his  friends  thought  that  the  best  way  was  to  have 
him  go  in  debt,  which  he  was  sure  to  pay.  Accordingly,  for  the 
gratification  of  his  wife  and  his  friends  he  bought  a  rice  planta- 
tion on  the  Savannah  River  a  few  miles  below  Savannah.  The 
cost  of  the  plantation  was  probably  about  $35,000.  He  bought 
137  negroes  for  a  little  less  than  $300  each,  equal  to  about 
$41,000.  The  original  lists  show  that  the  children  below  14 
years  old  amounted  to  28%  and  the  superannuated  to  8%.  He 
also  joined  his  friend  James  Hamilton,  Jr.  (the  Governor)  in 
the  purchase  of  a  plantation  on  the  Ogeechee  River. 

Anxious  as  he  was,  notwithstanding  his  opinions,  to  devote 
himself  to  his  profession  and  his  domestic  affairs,  he  was  not  able 
to  resist  the  importunity  of  his  personal  and  political  friends. 
There  had   been   a  severe  contest   for   the  city  government.* 


*For  intendant: — J.  R.  Pringle,  Unionist,  received  838  votes,  and  H.  L.  Pinck- 
ney,  NuUifier,  754,  a  majority  of  84.  Charleston  Mercury,  September  6,  1830. 
Henry  Laurens  Pinckney  was  a  man  of  great  talent,  and  his  extraordinary 
flow  of  language  gave  him  great  control  over  the  multitude.  He  was  always  a 
devoted  satellite  of  Calhoun.  He  was  the  son  of  Charles  Pinckney,  one  of 
the  framers  of  the  Constitution,  who  was  educated  by  his  uncle,  the  Chief 
Justice,  and  was  first  cousin  of  his  highly  honored  relative,  Charles  Cotes- 
worth  Pinckney.  Frances  Pinckney,  sister  of  Henry  Laurens  Pinckney,  was 
the  first  wife  of  Robert  Y.  Yayne. 

James  Reid  Pringle  was  always  a  Union  man,  and  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of 
the  city.  He  was  afterwards  collector  of  the  port.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
courteous  men  of  his  day. 


James  Louis  Petigru  81 

Another  was  pending  for  the  House.  He  says:  "We  are  about 
to  begin  another  canvass,  which  will  be  more  exasperating  than 
the  election  of  the  last  intendant.  I  am  in  for  it,  according  to 
my  usual  luck.  They  have  impressed  me  for  a  senator — nothing 
less  than  impressment.  I  resisted  stoutly  and  bawled  lustily 
for  help,  but  none  would  help  me,  so  nothing  was  to  be  done  but 
take  my  place  in  the  team.  *  *  *  If  I  am  elected,  I  shall  see 
much  of  you  in  Columbia,  for  I  suppose  your  election  is  certain, 
since  Beaufort,  it  is  said,  is  willing  to  go  the  whole  length  of  Gov- 
ernor Miller's  course — ballot-box,  jury-box,  cartouch-box.  I 
wish  Elliott  were  here,  where  his  soundness  would  be  more 
appreciated  than  it  is  among  your  insurging  people.  Strange, 
too,  that  Beaufort,  the  most  exposed  place  in  the  State,  should 
be  most  eager  to  rush  into  danger.  But  many  ingenious  gen- 
tlemen of  my  acquaintance  are  seriously  of  opinion  that  the 
same  Yankees  whom  we  now  accuse  as  shameless  robbers,  would 
desist  from  hurting  us  as  soon  as  the  Union  is  dissolved;  that  we 
should  only  have  to  do  like  an  indignant  gentleman  who  turns 
his  back  upon  a  man  he  dislikes,  and  lives  beside  him  for  the 
rest  of  his  life  without  speaking  and  without  fighting."* 

After  the  excitement  attending  the  election  for  intendant  had 
died  out  the  members  of  the  legislature  were  yet  to  be  chosen. 
The  Nullifiers  put  forth  Colonel  Richard  Cunningham  as  a  can- 
didate for  State  senator.  The  Union  party  insisted  that  Mr. 
Petigru  should  take  the  field  against  him.  To  fit  himself  for  the 
contest  he  resigned  the  office  of  Attorney-General.  With  what 
reluctance  he  yielded  to  the  importunities  of  his  friends  is  shown 
by  the  previous  letter.  The  result  of  the  election  is  given  in  the 
Mercury,  October  11,  1830,  as  follows: 

State  senator,  Richard  Cunningham  received  1,268  votes  and 
James  L.  Petigru  received  1,243  votes. 

The  other  members  of  the  legislature  elected  were  about 
equally  divided  between  the  two  parties.  Among  those  of  the 
Union  party  elected  was  H.  S.  Legate.  It  was  with  no  small 
degree  of  satisfaction  to  Mr.  Petigru  that  in  a  few  days  the  leg- 
islature elected  Mr.  Legare  to  the  position  of  Attorney-General 
which  he  had  vacated,  and  also  that  his  friend,  Judge  J.  B. 
0'Neall,was  promoted  from  circuit  judge  to  judge  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals.     In  later  life  O'Neall  became  president  of  the  Court 

*Grayson,  p.  120. 


82  -^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  Law  xAppeals  and  of  the  Court  of  Errors  of  South  CaroHna. 
James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  was  elected  Governor. 

On  December  14,  1830,  an  election  was  held  to  supply  the 
place  in  the  House  of  Representatives  made  vacant  by  the 
resignation  of  Mr.  Legare,  the  result  of  which  was  that  Mr. 
Petigru  received  1,266  votes  and  E.  R.  Laurens  received  1,041, 
a  majority  for  Mr.  Petigru  of  225.  {Charleston  Mercury, 
December  16,  1830.) 

In  reference  to  this  event  Petigru  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Poinsett: 

TO  JOEL  R.   POINSETT 

Charleston,  December  15,  1830. 
My  dear  Sir: 

After  a  long  spell  of  bad  weather  we  have  at  last  a  little  sun- 
shine. The  result  of  the  election  was  declared  about  one  half 
after  11.  I  have  a  majority  of  227  which  is  80  more  than  Mentz- 
ing  had  over  Godard. — I  believe  Laurens  had  the  full  support  of 
his  party.  Some  few  persons  from  private  regard  did  not  vote. 
Magrath*  was  the  most  considerable  and  influential  of  those  I 
have  heard  of,  who  took  that  course.  Boycef  voted  for  me.  In 
fact  they  have  treated  Boyce  very  ill.  More  than  a  fortnight 
ago,  the  proposal  was  submitted  to  put  him  forward  as  the  can- 
didate of  both  parties — and  it  was  urged  that  this  was  due  to  his 
feelings  because  they  had  taken  the  liberty  of  making  him  a 
candidate  before  without  waiting  for  his  consent  and  he  was  not 
on  our  ticket,  merely  because  we  did  not  think  ourselves  auth- 
orized to  put  him  on  it.  In  these  circumstances  he  was  not  only 
defeated  but  at  the  bottom  of  the  list.  And  this  was  the  time 
for  the  State  rights  men  to  make  amends  to  his  feelings;  but  they 
declined  the  overture. 

I  felt  a  great  anxiety  to  get  up  an  opposition,  for  the  purpose 
of  encouraging  our  friends  at  Columbia.  A  minority  is  always 
in  danger  of  becoming  less,  and  Mentzing's  majority  over  Mr. 
Godard  might  lead  people  to  suppose  that  you  were  deserted  by 
your  constituents.  As  to  going  up  at  once  to  take  my  seat,  it 
seems  to  me  unnecessary.  The  fatigue  is  not  to  be  considered 
at  all,  but  I  am  very  anxious  to  go  to  Savannah  River.  I  will 
not  determine  till  to-morrow.  I  see  no  use  in  going  if  the  house 
is  to  adjourn  on  the  18th,  but  if  I  was  sure  it  would  sit  till  Tues- 
dav  it  would  make  a  difference.  The  mail  will  come  to-morrow 
and  perhaps  I  may  hear  some  news  from  some  of  you  that  will 

*Andrew  Gordon  Magrath,  afterwards  U.  S.  district  judge  and  governor  of 

South  Carolina  1866. 

f  Ker  Boyce,  one  of  the  most  successful  merchants  of  Charleston. 


James  Louis  Petigru  83 

enable  me  to  decide.  A  great  deal  of  money  has  been  lost  in  the 
election.  Bets  were  made  to  a  large  amount  last  night.  Old 
Dawson  at  Mrs.  McDonald's  won  500  dollars  betting  on  a 
majority  of  200.  I  have  heard  of  several  large  bets  on  our 
majority  which  have  been  gained. 

I  left  in  Alfred's  room  the  papers  you  were  good  enough  to 
undertake  to  bring  forme.  They  are  cleeds,etc.  Have  the  good- 
ness to  put  him  in  mind  of  it. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  L.  Petigru.* 

At  a  meeting  at  Seyle's  Hall,  Petigru  referred  to  the  result  of 
the  election  in  these  words: 

"If  the  departed  spirits  of  the  great  and  good  are  permitted  to 
watch  over  the  living,  the  soul  of  Washington  must  look  on  these 
proceedings  and  bless  them  for  his  country's  welfare. "  {Courier, 
December  30,  1830). 

TO  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  August  25,  1831. 
Dear  Elliott: 

On  the  subject  of  a  paper  in  Beaufort,  I  have  talked  with  some 
few  of  our  friends  and  there  seems  to  be  some  difference  of  opin- 
ion. I  am  afraid  that  discussion  will  do  nothing  for  Beaufort 
and  St.  Helena.  The  majority  are  just  sufficiently  numerous  to 
constitute  a  good  Jacobin  Club,  and  I  presume  they  are  about  as 
accessible  to  reason  as  those  most  incorruptible  patriots.  If 
you  establish  a  paper  in  Beaufort,  it  will  embitter  the  parties 
against  one  another  and  keep  them  from  forgetting  the  division, 
and,  out  of  Beaufort,  the  paper  is  not  likely  to  circulate.  I  am 
in  great  hope  that  the  Gazette  will  now  die  a  natural  death.  Be 
assured,  neither  Grayson  nor  Fullerf  will  stick  to  the  business 
six  months,  unless  we  do  something  to  make  it  a  question  of 
pride.  I  wish  you  would  go  to  Philadelphia.  It  will  be  an 
interesting  meeting  probably,  and  our  party  will  be  well  repre- 
sented. If  Judge  Huger  don't  go,  however,  it  will  be  more 
necessary  for  you  to  do  so,  in  order  that  our  low  country  dele- 
gates may  have  some  one  to  look  to,  who  is  not  so  much  a  stran- 
ger as  Middleton,  nor  so  entirely  a  man  ot  books  as  Legare. 
The  suit  on  Holmes'  bond  begins  to  excite  expectation.  To- 
day the  report  is  that  Tazewell  is  to  argue  the  case  for  Holmes 
and  that  ?2,000  are  sent  on  to  insure  his  attention.  I  have  it 
from  the  very  highest  authority,  and  no  doubt  he  has  been  writ- 


*Original  in  the  New  York  Historical  Society. 

tRichard  Fuller,  afterwards  a  distinguished  Baptist  minister. 


84  ^(/^>  Letters  and  Speeches 

ten  to  and  has  the  promise  of  the  party  of  ?2,000  if  he  will  come. 
Your  essays  in  the  papers  have  always  excited  a  great  deal  of 
attention  and  are  decidedly  more  talked  of  than  any  anonymous 
writings  of  the  times.  Is  it  not,  as  I  have  surmised,  that  the 
majority  of  St.  Helena  and  Beaufort  are  helpless?  The  planters 
are  all  Jacobinical,  more  or  less.  They  are  fond  of  two  things 
together,  which  are  power  and  liberty.  In  every  strife  we  find 
them  against  the  established  order  of  things  and  it  always  must 
be  so.  The  planter  is  necessarily  proud  and  his  want  of  edu- 
cation condemns  all  but  the  small  class,  that  stand  at  the  head, 
to  witness  with  great  heartburning  the  consideration  paid  to 
polite  education  and  talents.  I  have  much  hope  that  the  other 
parts  of  Beaufort  district  are  more  sound.  I  would  like  to 
hear  from  you,  and  if  you  care  for  the  party  chit  chat,  will  take 
pleasure  in  giving  you  a  taste  of  it  occasionally. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

P.  S. — The  Union  party,  after  going  on  with  marvelous  dis- 
cretion, have  just  come  to  something  like  a  stump.  They 
thought  to  send  tracts  into  the  country;  B.  F.  H.*  had  the  lead 
and  undertook  to  superintend.  He  wrote  the  prospectus  devil- 
ish well,  too,  but  unluckily  he  steps  over  the  line  and,  as  our 
orthodox  say,  defends  the  tariff.  Cardoza  has  denounced  the 
paper  and  I  don't  know  whether  H.  will  explain  or  be  sulky.  He 
is  not  known;  the  paper  is  quite  anonymous  and  of  course  you 
are  not  to  guess  at  his  name. 

The  Honorable  William  Elliott  was  the  grandson  of  William 
Elliott  and  Mary  Barnwell.  He  married  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  Rhett  Smith,  a  cousin  of  Barnwell  Rhett  Smith.  Wil- 
liam E.  Gonzales,  of  the  Columbia  State,  is  his  grandson. 
He  was  a  graduate  of  Yale  College.  By  occupation  he  was  a 
planter.  He  wrote  many  brilliant  articles  on  political  and  agri- 
cultural topics,t  and  was  the  author  of  "Carolina  Sports,"  a 
model  book  of  its  kind.  He  was  a  senator  from  Beaufort  County 
and  a  strong  Union  man  during  nullification.  In  1862,  when 
Beaufort  was  occupied  by  Federal  troops  under  General  Hunter, 
during  his  absence  his  beautiful  house  in  Beaufort  was  confis- 
cated under  the  legal  form  of  being  "sold  for  taxes. " 


*B.  F.  Hunt. 

tNotably,  his  report  to  the  South  Carolina  Agricultural  Society  as  to  the  honors 

awarded  to  Sea  Island  cotton  at  the  Paris  Exposition. 


James  Louis  Petigru  85 

TO    WILLIAM    ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  September  7,  1831. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

We  are  egregiously  beaten.  They  outdid  us  in  manoeuver- 
ing  and  succeed,  I  believe,  beyond  their  own  expectations.  The 
information  you  had  was  good.  They  did  buy  those  that  were 
sold  before  and  practiced  new  and  unheard  of  means.  They 
kept  men  drunk,  locked  up,  broke  houses  and  carried  them  off 
and,  in  fact,  did  everything  that  was  audacious.  There  is  an 
immense  advantage  on  their  side,  that  their  men  who  follow  the 
craft  of  electioneering,  have  nothing  else  to  do.  And  they 
possess  a  greater  degree  of  impudence  than  our  folks,  and  have 
more  credit  for  character,  with  fewer  scruples  of  conscience. 
We  shall  not  give  up,  but  take  another  fall  with  them  in  October, 
The  day,  however,  has  really  come  when  passion  is  openly  pre- 
ferred to  reason,  and  as  long  as  they  can  play  the  part  of  patriots 
and  resist  the  constituted  authorities  at  the  cheap  rate  of  blus- 
tering and  bawling  I  believe  they  will  continue  to  draw  more 
fools  into  their  circle.  As  the  real  character  of  their  measures, 
however,  develops  itself,  they  will  be  deserted.  This  old  quar- 
rel between  liberty  and  licentiousness  is  very  disagreeable.  One 
of  their  bullies,  "Jack  Ashe,"  was  killed  last  night  by  one  of 
their  own  fellows,  in  a  drunken  brawl.  He  was  good  for  at 
least  fifty  votes  to  them.  I  am  expecting  every  mornent  to  be 
called  to  assist  in  the  ceremonv  of  swearing  in  the  new  intendant, 
and  must  conclude  and  wishing  you  better  news  from  everybody 
than  from  me. 

Yours  truly, 

TO  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  November  14,  1831. 
Dear  Elliott: 

I  have  been  on  the  go  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks.  Seen 
Columbia,  Georgetown,  etc.,  and  listened  to  a  good  many  things, 
but  nothing  to  compare  with  the  graphic  touches  of  your  pen  in 
relation  to  the  Beaufort  revival.  You  really  are  the  only  man, 
that  has  caught  the  secret  of  Swift  and  can  make  one  scream 
with  laughing,  while  your  own  gravity  is  maintained  all  the 
while  to  admiration.  I  suppose,  by  this  time,  the  fire  has  con- 
sumed everything  in  Beaufort  that  will  burn.  I  see  our  senator 
has  taken  leave  of  his  constituents  and,  I  suppose,  he  steps  into 
Mr.  Jovner's  shoes  as  commissioner  in  equity.  \\  it  is  he  who 
still  indites  the  editorial  articles,  I  am  afraid  that  Mr.  Baker* 
must  administer  more  hell  fire,  for  the  traits  of  the  old  insanity 

*A  Presbyterian  minister  who  was  the  head  of  the  great  "Revival  of  Religion" 
in  Beaufort  district. 


86  Lifcy  Letters  and  Speeches 

are  still  but  too  plainly  visible  in  his  last  remarks.  No  doubt, 
as  one  nail  drives  out  another,  nullification  will  give  way  to 
religion  in  some  cases,  but  our  little  fellow  Pinckney  has  been 
vastly  devout  for  six  months,  without  any  visible  change  in  the 
filthiness  of  the  outer  man.  It  is  the  inside  only  of  the  cup, 
which  is  cleaned;  his  malignity,  baseness  and  unhappy  proclivity 
to  falsehood  are  as  great  as  ever.  I  perceive  that  Dr.  Capers  is 
to  be  Grayson's  successor,  from  which  I  suppose,  there  is  no 
hope  of  any  effectual  opposition.  If  you  could  only  join  us  at 
the  Senate  in  Columbia  and  Smith  should  be  elected,  as  I  hope 
he  will  be  in  York,  it  would  be  a  great  change  for  the  better.  I 
was  at  the  meeting  at  Black  Oak,  last  Friday;  St  John's  is  very 
much  divided;  it  can  not,  with  safety,  be  counted  for  us.  The 
senator,  White,  has  gone  over  to  the  enemy.  The  Representa- 
tives, Gaillard  and  Dwight,  are  firm.  In  Georgetown  the  parties 
are  nearly  equal;  a  little  will  turn  the  scale  either  way.  In  the 
districts  on  the  Pedee,  above  Georgetown,  the  Union  predomi- 
nates, and  Ervin,  former  senator  from  Marlborough,  is  moving 
with  the  greatest  activity  and  zeal  on  our  side.  It  is  perfectly 
uncertain  whether  they  will  attempt  to  nullify  at  this  time. 
There  is  an  ambiguous  denial  of  it  in  the  Mercury,  and  Harper's 
and  Preston's  speeches  at  Columbia,  are  the  same  way.  Huger 
gives  a  very  interesting  account  of  the  Philadelphia  convention. 
It  is  certain  Virginia  will  not  patronize  nullification  and  the  signs 
from  Georgia  are  very  favorable.  Our  State  now  rocks  and  it 
depends  on  our  neighbors  whether  the  revolution  shall  proceed. 
If  they  are  firm,  the  freetraders  will  be  obliged  to  strike,  and  I 
don't  think  the  day  is  far  off,  when  they  will  cease  to  wear  "  those 
sweet  smiles  of  assured  success"  which,  the  Times  says,  our 
patriotic  governor*  exhibited  at  Columbia.  Jackson's  pros- 
pects are  brighter  than  ever  at  the  North.  The  nomination  of 
Mr.  Wirt  by  the  Antimasons,  has  confounded  Mr.  Clay's  friends. 
It  is  thought  he  will  hardly  be  regarded  a  candidate  except  in 
Kentucky  and  Ohio. 

Have  you  seen  Middleton's  letter  to  his  constituents?  He 
speaksof  the  Freetraders  in  not  very  measured  terms.  Cooperf 
at  Columbia  is  in  great  trouble.  We  must  move  his  expulsion, 
and  nothing  but  a  party  vote  can  save  him.  If  it  be  true  that 
his  party  intends  to  desert  him,  he  must  go.     Adieu. 

Yours  truly, 

*James  Hamilton,  Jr. 

tDr.  Thomas  Cooper,  president.  South  Carolina  College,  1820-1834.  He  was 
finally  turned  out.  The  college  had  been  almost  destroyed  through  his  presi- 
dency. 


James  Louis  Petigru  87 


CHAPTER  XV 

1832 
The  Union  Party  and  Nullification 

Ordinary  politics  were  very  little  to  Mr.  Petigru's  taste.  He 
infinitely  preferred  the  pleasure  of  social  intercourse  with  his 
friends  and  the  discharge  of  his  professional  duties.  Neverthe- 
less when  he  once  espoused  a  cause  he  gave  himself  to  it  heart 
and  soul.  To  the  Union  party  he  devoted  the  services  of  his  pen 
by  contributing  able  articles  to  the  columns  of  the  City  Gazette 
and  of  the  Courier;  made  many  popular  speeches;  gave  them  the 
full  benefit  of  his  great  learning  and  ability,  was  the  "soul  of 
their  councils  "and  became  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  Union 
party  in  South  Carolina,  though  after  his  accustomed  fashion 
after  doing  all  the  work  he  put  others  forward  for  the  praise  and 
reward. 

How  much  he  detested  the  dissensions  and  divisions  among 
friends  which  the  nullification  controversy  created,  is  shown  by 
the  following  letter  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  North. 

TO  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  June  13,  1832. 

Mv  dear  Jane: 

We  had  a  grand  meeting  of  the  Union  party  last  night,  Mr. 
Henry  Middleton*  in  the  chair,  and  passed  resolutions  declaring 
our  adhesion  to  the  Union  and  our  reliance  on  a  southern  con- 
vention. They  did  not  pass  without  debate — Mr.  Grimkef 
opposed  them  in  a  speech  that  was  argumentative  and  eloquent; 
but,  the  great  majority  voted  with  us — and  I  believe  Grimke  is 
satisfied  that  he  has  done  his  duty,  and  if  any  harm  comes  of  it, 
he  is  not  to  blame.  Mr.  Blake  White  also  offered  to  support  Mr. 
Grimke,  but,  he  began  after  10  o'clock  and  the  folks  cried  out 
for  the  question,  which  I  was  sorry  for — and  he  could  not  go  on. 
We  think  it  will  make  an  impression  on  the  country,  and  that  if 
Mr.  McLane's  bill  passes,  which  is  expected,  they  will  rather 
acquiesce  in  the  bill  than  try  either  nullification  or  southern  con- 

*Member  of  Congress  and  governor  of  South  Carolina.     For  many  years  minister 

to  Russia  and  often  called  "Russia  Middleton." 

fThomas  S.  Grimk6,  a  lawyer  of  great  learning  and  high  character. 


88  l^i}^',  Letters  and  Speeches 

vention.     But  as  yet,  there  seems  to  be  no  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  indignant  patriots  to  accept  of  any  compromise. 

I  suppose  you  know  that  I  am  going  to  Edgefield.  I  expected 
to  set  out  tomorrow  in  my  own  carriage,  but  one  of  the  horses  is 
lame,  so  I  shall  go  in  the  stage  to  Edgefield  and  depend  upon 
hiring  or  borrowing;  James  Smith*  (a  brother  of  Barnwell)  is  to 
deliver  the  oration  for  the  Union  party,  but  we  shall  not  have  a 
grand  dinner  and  all  that,  unless  the  Nullifiers  turn  out  and 
parade,  and  then  we  will.  Poor  Judge  Prioleauf  is  despaired 
of;  he  has  had  a  second  stroke  of  palsy — he  was  taken  on  Mon- 
day afternoon  and  is  speechless  but  sensible.  It  is  really  very 
distressing — one  of  the  best  men  in  the  relations  of  domestic  life 
that  I  ever  knew — one  whom  I  so  much  esteemed  and  have  been 
so  intimate  with  and  now  he  is  going  to  die,  and  these  cursed 
politics  have  made  me  almost  a  stranger  to  him. 

Your  Brother. 

On  the  27th  of  April,  1832,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Mr. 
McLean,  presented  a  tariff  bill  (mentioned  in  the  previous  letter) 
in  answer  to  a  call  from  the  house.  It  was  planned  to  raise 
twelve  millions  of  revenue.  It  was  proposed  to  collect  fifteen 
per  cent  on  imports  in  general,  with  special  and  higher  rates  on 
the  great  protected  commodities.  This  was  the  administration 
plan. 

The  battle  raged  over  the  whole  field  of  politics  and  political 
economy. 

The  act  as  finally  passed  on  the  14th  of  July,  1832,  reduced 
or  abolished  many  of  the  taxes.  It  did  not  materially  alter  the 
protective  taxes.  The  tax  on  iron  was  reduced;  that  on  cotton 
was  unchanged;  that  on  woolens  was  raised  fifty  per  cent.  This 
was  the  position  of  the  tariff  and  nullification  when  the  presi- 
dential election  was  held. 

On  the  passage  of  this  act  the  people  of  South  Carolina 
thought  that  the  limit  of  proper  delay  and  constitutional  agita- 
tion had  been  reached.     The  volcano  was  nearing  eruption. 


*Now  Rhett. 

fThis  refers  to  Judge  Samuel  Prioleau.  His  first  wife  was  Hannah  Hamilton; 
his  second  wife  was  Elizabeth  Lynch  Hamilton,  sisters  of  James  Hamilton,  Jr. 
His  second  wife  was  the  mother  of  Charles  Kuhn  Prioleau,  of  Fraser,  Trenholm 
&  Company,  Liverpool,  the  financial  agents  of  the  Confederacy  in  England 
during  the  Civil  War. 


James  Louis  Petigru  89 

TO  WILLIAM   ELLIOTT 

Sullivans  Island,  August  7,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

I  received  your  letters,  and  if  I  did  not  answer  the  first,  it  was 
because,  what  with  moving  and  other  troubles,  I  was  put  off 
the  course  of  my  better  thoughts.  I  wrote  to  Colonel  Drayton, 
begging  him  to  get,  if  possible,  the  southern  members  to  unite 
either  upon  recommending  the  bill  or  some  course  of  opposition, 
and  since  he  came  he  told  me  he  had  endeavored  to  do  so,  but 
could  not.  The  reason  is  pretty  clear  since  the  Georgia  members 
have  disclosed  themselves.  Have  you  seen  Clayton's  speech 
and  toast  at  Laurens  and  have  you  seen  the  Augusta  Constitu- 
tionalist? The  editor  has  done  a  very  bold  act:  he  has  struck 
out  of  his  paper  the  Troup  nomination  of  members  of  Congress, 
made  by  the  party  last  December,  and  says,  before  that  ticket 
is  printed  again  in  his  paper,  he  must  be  better  informed  of  the 
intentions  of  those  gentlemen  in  the  crisis  of  our  affairs.  This 
is  a  leading  Troup  paper  and  it  portends  a  breaking  up  of  the 
party.  The  Federal  Union,  the  leading  Clerke  paper,  repub- 
lishes Oglethorpe  with  praise  and  classes  drunkenness,  cholera 
and  nullification  together,  as  the  three  curses  of  the  nation.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Chrjiiicle,  of  Augusta,  a  Clerke  paper,  is  in 
the  most  intimate  union  with  our  association,  and  the  Nullifi- 
cation party  in  the  State  is  nearly  equally  divided  between  the 
Troup  and  Clerke  parties,  and  it  seems  to  me  impossible  that 
these  parties  can  longer  be  kept  together  on  their  distinctive 
grounds.  The  NuUifiers  must  unite  and  their  opponents  will 
unite  of  necessity.  Wayne  and  Forsyth  are  the  only  Georgians 
who,  in  Congress,  have  stood  by  the  Union  and  this  schism  is, 
I  believe,  extending  in  North  Carolina  and  Alabama.  Things 
will  come  to  a  crisis  and  perhaps  it  is  better  that  the  question 
should  be  made  in  the  other  southern  States  now.  It  will  per- 
haps have  a  good  effect  in  more  ways  than  one.  The  zeal  of  our 
State  doctors  will  not  be  so  great,  if  they  anticipate  rivals  in 
other  States.  They  want  auxiliaries,  but  they  will  be  chagrined 
if  they  find  that  Troup  and  Clayton  are  disposed  to  lead.  It 
would  be  just  like  Calhoun  if  he  were  to  come  forward  to  save 
the  Constitution  at  its  last  gasp.  I  should  not  be  surprised  if 
he  were  to  astonish  the  natives  with  another  somersault.  We 
will  do  our  utmost  in  the  city  and  have  hopes  of  carrying  the 
city  election.  If  we  do,  there  is  no  telling  what  the  State  election 
may  turn  out.  And  it  Judge  Richardson  is  not  mistaken,  who 
is  confident  of  eight  districts  beyond  the  Pedee,  we  are  pretty 
sure  of  defeating  the  convention  again.  You  are  pledged  and 
must  keep  your  word.  I  see  no  use,  but  on  the  contrary,  great 
inconvenience  in  your  resigning.  If  your  friends  were  willing 
to  release  you,  that  would  be  another  thing,  but,  I  suppose,  as 
they  are  admitted  again  to  the  fold,  they  would  do  nothing  of 


90  -^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  kind.  Encourage  the  " tristes  reliquiae  belli,''  the  faithful 
Unionists  of  Beaufort;  we  are  strong  enough  to  save  the  country 
if  we  have  patience.  Will  you  not  call  a  meeting  to  send  dele- 
gates to  Columbia?  We  must  do  it.  The  Sumter  people  insist 
on  the  meeting  and  Judge  O'Neale  thinks  it  expedient  for  his 
part  of  the  country.  Nominate  a  full  ticket.  Let  us  make  a 
goodly  show  and  put  forth  a  strong  address,  the  object  of  which 
will  be  either  acquiescence  or  convention.  We  may  call  for 
convention  as  loud  as  we  please;  it  is  not  likely  the  other  States 
will  join  in  convention,  as  long  as  they  keep  down  nullification 
without  it.  And  the  address  will  have  a  good  effect  on  the 
election.  Let  me  request  you  to  prepare  one.  It  ought  to  be 
well  done  and  none  of  us  could  do  it  as  well  as  you.  I  have  had 
bad  luck  with  mine  and  don't  intend  to  try  this  time.  How  did 
you  like  the  last?  I  mean  that  for  the  Union  meeting,  where 
Mr.  Middleton  presided.  I  wrote  Grayson  a  letter  the  other 
day,  quizzing  him  horribly.  I  wish  he  would  show  it  to  you. 
It  is  a  melancholy  sign,  when  honest  men  like  Grayson  are  so 
willing  to  be  deceived,  that  they  will  repeat  not  only  what  is 
untrue,  but  what  can  be  proved  to  be  false  in  five  minutes,  and 
will  continue  to  abuse  their  conscience  by  devotedly  believing 
it,  after  it  is  proved  to  be  false.  This  reminds  me  of  the  club. 
I  agree  that  the  times  would  justify  it  in  us  to  meet  club  with 
club,  but,  can  we  get  a  gang  to  oppose  robbers,  as  easily  as  rob- 
bers unite  in  gangs?     I  think  not. 

Yours  faithfully, 

TO   WILLIAM   ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  August  24,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

I  write  but  a  line  to  tell  you  I  have  read  your  address  with 
great  pleasure  and  spoken  to  little  Estill,  who  will  go  about  the 
printing  on  Monday.  The  price  of  200  or  500  is  much  the  same, 
20  dollars.  If  you  will  send  me  the  rest  of  the  copy,  I  will  attend 
to  it  and  forward  them  to  you  as  soon  as  done.  We  are  going 
about  the  election  in  good  earnest.  It  seems  to  me  almost  im- 
possible we  should  lose  it.  I  really  begin  to  think  a  reaction  is 
taking  place.  Yours  truly, 

TO  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Sullivans  Island,  September  4,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

We  have  lost  the  city  election.* — Not  only  so,  but  a  majority 

*For  intendant — 

H.  L.  Pinckney  received       1,112  votes. 

H.  A.  Desessaure  received       950  votes. 

Majority  for  Pinckney  162  votes. 

Charleston  Mercury^  Monday,  September  3,  1832. 


James  Louis  Petigru  91 

of  162  against  us.  The  election  was  conducted  very  scandal- 
ously in  many  respects.  The  guard  and  paupers  voted  in  defi- 
ance of  law  and  shame.  They  actually  admitted  it  was  an 
evasion  of  law,  and  said  they  did  it  on  their  responsibility.  In 
other  instances,  particularly  at  the  poll  where  A.  H.  Brown 
managed,  there  was  great  partiality  in  admitting,  as  well  as  in 
rejecting  vf)tes.  I  fear  the  consequences  on  the  State  elections, 
and  our  only  consolation  is,  that  we  did  our  utmost.  The  truth 
is,  the  public  mind  is  poisoned.  I  never  felt  so  shocked  as  by 
the  shameless  disregard  of  all  sense  of  justice  exhibited  yester- 
day. An  awful  warning  of  the  temper  of  revolutionary  tribunals. 
Estill  has  finished  your  book.  As  soon  as  Bythewood*  sails  or 
any  other  opportunity  occurs,  300  copies  will  be  sent  you;  500 
are  printed.  I  thought  I  would  retain  the  others  for  distribution. 
I  don't  know  the  exact  amount  of  Estill's  bill,  but  will  let  you 
know.     I  shall  go  to  Columbia;  I  wish  you  would  go  too. 

Yours  truly, 

P.  S. — I  am  more  and  more  pleased  with  your  production  in 
print.  I  am  much  mistaken  if  it  does  not  make  a  strong  impres- 
sion. 

Proceedings!  of  the  Union  and  States'  Rights  convention  at 
Columbia,  South  Carolina.  Convention  met  pursuant  to 
adjournment.  The  minutes  of  the  proceedings  of  the  first 
two  days   were   read. 

Mr.  Petigru,  from  the  committee,  reported  the  following 
address  and  resolutions  which  were  submitted  to  the  convention: 

To  the  People. 

At  this  period,  when  the  controversy  by  which  the  State  has 
for  years  been  distracted  is  drawing  to  an  issue  of  fearful  import, 
the  delegates  of  the  Union  party  assembled  at  Columbia,  invite 
your  solemn  attention  to  the  consideration  of  the  best  mode  of 
providing  for  the  public  safety.  They  solicit  your  co-operation 
in  a  common  effort  to  sustain  the  prosperity,  and  if  possible  the 
peace  of  the  country.  There  is  no  tariff  party  in  South  Carolina; 
we  agree  on  every  side  that  the  tariff  should  be  resisted  by  all 
constitutional  means.  So  far  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion; 
but  we  are  divided  as  to  the  character  of  the  means  that  should 
be  employed;  and  resistance  by  nullification  is  the  fatal  source 
of  bitterness  and  discord.  Even  those  who  are  in  favor  of  nulli- 
fication differ  widely  as  to  its  character.  It  is  recommended  as 
constitutional   and  peaceful,   but   when   explained  even   by   its 


*Captain  of  Schooner  Clutch  &  Benefit. 
tCharleston  Courier,  September  15,  1832. 


92  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

advocates  it  assumes  many  different  aspects,  and  furnishes  an 
evil  omen  ot  interminable  strife. 

Regarded  as  a  peaceful  remedy,  nullification  resolves  itself 
into  a  mere  lawsuit,  and  may  be  shortly  dismissed  as  a  feeble, 
inefficient  measure.  For  it  has  been  wisely  provided  that  the 
Constitution  and  acts  of  Congress  made  in  pursuance  thereof 
shall  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land — and  in  a  court  sitting  under 
the  authority  of  the  Constitution,  the  merits  of  the  question 
could  receive  no  aid  from  the  high-sounding  terms  of  an  act  of 
nullification.  Regarded  as  a  forcible  interposition  of  the  sover- 
eign power  of  the  State,  the  objections  to  it  are  far  deeper.  It 
is  not  a  mere  infraction  of  the  Constitution  which,  like  an  exter- 
nal injury  leaves  its  great  utility  unimpaired,  but  a  radical  and 
fatal    error. 

The  theory  renders  the  Constitution  a  dead  letter — and 
the  practical  enforcement  of  the  doctrine  is  the  beginning  of 
Revolution.  A  Government  inadequate  to  its  purposes  can 
not  in  the  nature  of  things  maintain  its  existence.  The  great 
end  and  aim  of  the  Constitution  is  to  preserve  the  union  of  the 
States,  and  by  that  means  the  harmony  and  prosperity  of  the 
country.  The  old  Confederation  proved  inadequate  to  that 
end,  because  the  execution  of  its  resolutions  depended  on  the 
will  and  pleasure  of  the  several  States.  The  convention  which 
formed  the  Constitution  owed  its  existence  to  the  necessity  of 
giving  to  the  general  Government  the  power  to  execute  its  own 
laws.  If  the  several  States  can  nullify  an  act  of  Congress  like 
the  tariff,  that  power  can  not  be  exercised,  and  the  federal 
government  must  follow  the  fate  of  the  Confederation.  It  is  in 
vain  to  argue  against  facts.  The  theory  of  nullification  fal- 
sifies the  history  of  the  country.  It  is  monstrous  to  contend 
that  the  framers  of  the  Constitution  did  not  invest  the  general 
Government  with  power  to  execute  their  own  laws,  or  that  with- 
out such  power  a  union  can  exist. 

The  restriction  of  the  State  veto  in  its  terms  to  laws  declared 
by  the  State  to  be  unconstitutional  is  merely  nominal.  In 
practice  it  can  make  no  difference,  for  whether  the  laws  be  uncon- 
stitutional or  not,  the  effect  of  the  nullification  must  be  the  same. 
If  one  State  has  the  jurisdiction  to  declare  a  law  unconstitu- 
tional, every  other  State  must  have  the  same;  and  the  Consti- 
tution can  have  no  settled  meaning.  It  is  vain  to  say  the  powers 
would  be  lightly  exercised.  If  it  were  a  power  which  the  States 
possess,  if  the  right  was  acknowledged,  there  would  be  no  more 
difficulty  or  reserve  in  the  exercise  of  it  now  than  under  the  Con- 
federation. A  veneration  for  the  Constitution  may  prevent 
infractions,  but  can  have  no  application  to  the  exercise  of  the 
right  when  it  is  once  admitted  to  be  constitutional.  According 
to  the  theory  of  nullification  any  number  of  States,  more  than 
one  fourth  of  the  whole,  may  change  the  Constitution.     For  in 


James  Louis  Petigru  93 

case  a  State  shall  nullify  an  act  which  that  very  State  in  common 
with  all  the  others  had  formerly  recognized  as  legitimate,  or  any 
law  that  is  really  constitutional,  unless  three-fourths  concur  in 
favor  of  the  law  so  nullified,  the  Constitution  will,  to  all  intents 
and  purposes  be  changed;  and  this  power  of  a  minority  to  alter 
the  Constitution  is  deduced  from  the  express  provision  that  it 
shall  not  be  altered  by  a  majority  of  less  than  three-fourths.  By 
the  same  rule,  if  unanimity  had  been  required  in  all  amendments, 
the  Constitution  might  have  been  changed  by  any  one  State. 
Such  fallacy,  requires  no  exposure.  A  construction  which 
destroys  the  text  and  gives  to  words  an  effect  directly  opposite 
to  their  sense  and  meaning  is  too  gross  for  argument. 

Such  are  the  objections  to  nullification  in  theory.  It  is  not 
merely  an  infraction  of  the  Constitution,  but  a  total  abrogation 
of  its  authority.  But  in  practice  a  dissolution  of  the  Union  is 
one  of  the  least  of  the  dire  calamities  which  it  must  inflict  on 
the  country.  A  secession  from  the  Union  might  possibly  take 
place  in  peace,  and  would  only  impair  our  national  defense,  put 
our  independence  in  danger,  and  give  us  up  as  a  party  to  foreign 
influence,  with  its  usual  consequences  of  domestic  factions  and 
frequent  wars.  But  nullification  in  practice  must  produce  a 
direct  collision  between  the  authorities  of  the  States  and  those 
of  the  Union.  It  would  place  both  parties  under  the  necessity 
of  a  conflict,  and  ensnare  the  citizen  between  inconsistent  duties, 
adding  to  the  disasters  of  war  the  cruelties  of  penal  laws.  It 
may  be  said  by  the  advocates  of  nullification  that  the  State  is 
entitled  to  the  unqualified  allegiance  of  its  citizens,  and  that 
the  decrees  of  a  State  convention  would  supersede  all  other  obli- 
gations. Without  stopping  to  examine  the  correctness  of  this 
doctrine,  it  may  be  conceded  for  the  purposes  of  argument,  that 
if  the  State  authorities  command  us  to  withdraw  our  allegiance 
from  the  general  Government  we  are  bound  to  obey.  But 
nullification  proposes  to  be  a  constitutional  remedy — and  whilst 
it  calls  upon  us  to  resist  the  constituted  authorities,  it  commands 
implicit  obedience  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States; 
can  anything  less  than  humiliation  and  defeat  be  expected  from 
such  a  tissue  of  inconsistencies? 

But  if  nullification  be  considered  not  as  a  constitutional  power, 
but  as  a  high  prerogative,  and  an  exceptance  justified  by  great 
emergencies,  it  must  in  principle  be  the  same  as  the  right  of 
resistance,  which  is  recognized  by  the  principle  of  freedom  as  a 
right  paramount  to  all  constitutions,  and  is  but  an  application 
to  the  State  as  a  political  body  of  the  same  principle  which  pre- 
vails in  every  case  between  the  people  and  the  government. 
But  as  this  exception  is  by  its  very  nature  beyond  all  law,  it  can 
not  be  incorporated  into  the  rule  of  the  Constitution.  The 
question  in  all  such  cases  is,  whether  necessity  exists;  whether  the 


94  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

magnitude  of  the  evil  is  such  as  to  justify  a  resort  to  revolution- 
ary force. 

We  cherish  a  sacred  attachment  to  the  Constitution,  and 
deplore  and  deprecate  the  effects  of  that  rage  and  passion,  which 
in  the  correction  of  abuses  would  sweep  away  the  inestimable 
institution  ot  freedom.  If  nullification  was  not  fatal  to  these 
institutions  there  would  be  no  dispute  among  us,  and  when  the 
vital  and  essential  interests  of  the  State  are  in  jeopardy,  we 
should  think  no  risk  too  great  for  their  preservation  in  the  last 
resort.  But  it  would  little  comport  with  patriotism  or  prudence 
to  incur  all  the  calamities  attendant  upon  the  destruction  of 
social  order,  if  any  plan  can  be  suggested  for  the  removal  of  the 
burthens  of  the  tariff  (already  considerably  diminished)  by 
safer  and  more  eligible  means.  We  believe  that  the  times  call 
loudly  for  the  adoption  of  such  a  plan,  and  that  no  insuperable 
objections  stand  in  the  way  of  a  cordial  co-operation  of  all 
parties.  Let  the  southern  States  meet  in  convention  and  delib- 
erate as  well  on  the  infraction  of  their  rights  as  on  the  mode  and 
measure  of  redress.  The  States  of  Virginia,  North  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Mississippi  are  equally  con- 
cerned with  us  in  all  the  consequences  of  the  tariff.  If  the  free- 
dom and  prosperity  of  one  are  involved  in  the  issue,  those  of  all 
the  others  are  equally  concerned. 

Whatever  advantages  may  be  expected  from  nullification  as 
a  constitutional  check,  can  only  be  realized  by  a  concurrence  of 
the  States  that  are  interested,  and  such  a  co-operation  appears 
to  be  clearly  intimated  by  the  Virginia  Resolution  as  the  proper 
proceeding  in  such  cases.  And  if  nullification  be  regarded  as 
an  appeal  to  the  principle  of  resistance,  it  would  be  madness  to 
expect  success  without  the  support  and  countenance  of  those 
States.  If  the  States  which  are  injuriously  affected  by  the  pro- 
tective system,  concur  in  regarding  the  ordinary  constitutional 
checks  as  insufficient  to  restrain  the  general  government  within 
its  proper  sphere,  such  interposition  as  they  may  advise,  will  be 
most  effectual  and  productive  of  the  smallest  injury. 

Even  those  who  support  the  opinion  that  nullification  is  a 
constitutional  and  peaceful  remedy,  admit  that  it  is  only  to  be 
resorted  to  in  extreme  cases,  and  on  the  ground  of  great  public 
necessity.  And  how  shall  we  be  satisfied  of  this  necessity  but 
by  the  support  and  concurrence  of  those  States  who  are  equally 
interested?  Many  causes  may  conspire  to  create  an  excitement 
in  one  State  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  the  evil. 
But  if  the  excitement  is  general  and  prevails  as  widely  as  the 
mischief  extends  we  may  be  sure  that  it  does  not  proceed  from 
prejudice  or  accidental  causes,  and  that  the  crisis  has  arrived 
for  the  intervention  of  an  extraordinary  remedy.  It  is  due  to 
the  veneration  in  which  the  Constitution  ought  to  be  held,  to 
the  responsibility  which  we  are  under  for  preserving  it  inviolate, 


'James  Louis  Petigru  95 

that  no  measure,  involving  in  its  consequences  so  essentially 
the  stability  of  the  Government  as  nullification  confessedly 
does,  should  be  undertaken  except  by  the  concurrence  of  such  a 
number  of  States  as  are  invested  with  the  restraining  or  negative 
power  in  the  case  of  amendments. 

Such  are  the  advantages  of  a  southern  convention.  The 
objections  to  it  may  be  easily  disposed  of.  It  is  not  unconsti- 
tutional. The  States  are  prohibited  from  entering  into  treaties 
or  confederacies  among  themselves.  But  a  southern  convention 
will  form  no  treaty  or  compact  of  any  kind.  Their  object  will 
be  to  deliberate,  to  enlighten,  and  give  effect  to  public  opinion. 
Nor  will  their  deliberations  be  injurious  to  the  Union.  If  the 
States  who  are  aggrieved  by  the  tariff  laws  act  in  concert  their 
claim  will  in  all  probability  be  conceded;  but  if  the  very  worst 
that  can  be  imagined  should  happen,  and  their  demands  be 
capriciously  rejected  it  will  be  for  the  several  States  and  not  for 
the  convention  to  act  on  the  subject.  The  advice  of  the  con- 
vention will  no  doubt  have  great  weight,  but  it  will  be  salutary 
influence,  not  a  legal  control. 

In  the  spirit  of  amity  we  make  this  appeal  to  our  fellow-citi- 
zens. The  glorious  inheritance  is  at  stake.  The  same  blow 
which  destroys  the  union,  levels  to  the  ground  the  defences  of 
liberty.  Under  the  Federal  Constitution  we  have  enjoyed  all 
which  the  patriots  of  the  ^American  Revolution  desired  to  see. 
Our  country  has  increased  in  riches,  in  knowledge,  and  in  honor. 
And  those  who  offered  up  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  America 
would  have  closed  their  eyes  in  peace  if  they  could  have  been 
blessed  with  a  vision  of  that  future  which  we  have  enjoyed. 
The  happiness  of  our  citizens  has  formed  the  admiration  of  the 
wise  and  good;  and  now  when  the  scene  is  changed,  and  discon- 
tents created  by  the  acts  of  Government,  have  brought  the  Con- 
stitution itself  into  danger,  it  depends  on  the  moderation  and 
wisdom  of  the  sons  of  liberty,  to  repay  in  some  degree  the  debt 
of  gratitude,  by  transmitting  the  same  inheritance  to  their  pos- 
terity. 

1.  Therefore  Resolved^  That  while  we  deprecate  nullification 
as  founded  on  principles  subversive  of  the  Constitution,  we 
would  willingly  and  cordially  unite  with  our  fellow-citizens  of  the 
Free  Trade  and  States  Rights  party  of  this  State,  on  any  ground 
which  promises  a  redress  of  our  grievances,  without  involving  a 
violation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  I'nited  States. 

2.  Resolved^  That  in  case  of  concurrence  of  the  States  of  Vir- 
ginia, North  Carolina,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Missis- 
sippi, this  Convention  do  earnestly  recommend  to  the  citizens 
of  this  State  to  meet  in  their  several  districts  and  elect  delegates 
to  attend  a  general  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  said  State  in 
convention,  to  take  under  consideration  the  grievances  under 
which  we  labor,  and  the  means  and  measures  of  redress. 


96  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

3.  Resolved,  That  we  solemnly  pledge  ourselves  to  adopt,  abide 
by,  and  pursue  such  measures  in  relation  to  our  grievances,  as  the 
said  convention  shall  recommend. 

4.  Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  nine  be  appointed  to  corres- 
pond with  their  fellow-citizens  of  the  said  States,  and  in  case  of 
their  concurrence  in  the  proposed  convention  to  give  notice 
of  the  time  and  place  of  holding  the  same,  and  fix  a  day  for 
election  of  delegates  from  the  several  districts  of  this  State,  and 
that  a  majority  of  the  acting  members  of  the  committee  be 
authorized  to  supply  any  vacancies  in  their  numbers  as  the  same 
may  occur. 

The  above  report  and  resolutions  adopted  by  the  convention 
by  a  vote  of  112  to  1. 

TO  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  September  20,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

I  suppose  you  have  seen  our  proceedings  in  Columbia.  We 
regretted  much  that  you  were  not  there.  We  went  on  smoothly. 
Brisbane  from  St.  Georges  made  a  speech  against  the  Resolutions, 
which,  the  Nullifiers  in  the  gallery  applauded,  till  they  were  told 
that  he  was  mad  and  then,  they  were  vastly  chagrined  by  this 
evidence  of  the  likeness  between  him  and  their  great  men.  I 
would  hardly  write  to  you  now,  if  I  did  not  wish  to  tell  you  how 
rapidly  your  address  to  your  constituents  was  caught  at.  I 
carried  up  nearly  all  the  impressions  besides  what  you  have  and 
they  were  called  for  again  and  again  after  they  were  all  gone. 
I  left  a  few  here  and  Estill  tells  me  there  was  such  a  demand  for 
them,  that  he  kept  them  no  time,  and  speaks  of  publishing  a 
second  edition.  More  than  all,  I  believe  it  has  had  great  effect 
in  making  him  a  good  Union  man.  As  to  our  prospects,  they 
are  not  as  flattering  as  I  could  wish.  The  idea  that  we  are  the 
weaker  party  has  great  influence  in  making  us  still  weaker.  If 
we  had  missionaries  to  traverse  the  country  as  they  do,  I  believe 
firmly  we  could  dispute  the  ground  with  them  successfully.  But 
we  have  none.  Even  now,  I  am  invited  to  Barnwell  and,  after 
balancing  the  pros  and  cons  till  I  am  tired,  I  am  not  able  to  go. 
If  I  was  independent  of  the  shop,  I  would  take  the  field  in  earnest. 
Cheves'*  second  number  is  coming  out;  he  ought  to  put  his  name 
to  it.  "Occasional  Reviews"  is  a  ridiculous  title  for  a  contro- 
versial political  pamphlet.  As  far  as  the  manner  of  publishing 
can  weaken  the  effect  of  his  opinions,  he  has  made  sure  of  de- 


*Hon.  Langdon  Cheves,  Speaker  of  the  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  law 
judge  of  South  Carolina,  president  of  the  United  States  Bank  and  finally  a  most 
successful  rice  planter  on  the  Savannah  River. 


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Ballot,  Election   1832 


iF.,.;„.  oa\ 


James  Louis  Petigru  97 

priving  them  of  any  dangerous  authority.  One  important  fact 
I  must  tell  you  and  this  is,  that  these  delegates  at  Columbia  were 
nearly  all  in  favor  of  resistance  to  Nullificaticjn,  whether  by  the 
'' Legis  Latinae''  or  convention.  They  are  to  assemble  again 
in  December  and  with  a  view  to  that  very  question,  which,  I 
have  no  doubt,  will  be  decided  in  favor  of  resistance  and,  if  they 
nullify,  the  sword  will  be  drawn  in  good  earnest.  I  speak,  of 
course,  on  the  supposition  that  the  act  is  accompanied  by  penal 
laws  or  any  encroachments  on  the  liberty  of  the  citizen.     Adieu. 

Yours, 

TO  WILLIAM   ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  September  28,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

Your  resignation  was,  I've  no  doubt,  considering  all  circum- 
stances, the  best  thing  you  coukl  do.  When  sedition  rages  in  a 
great  city,  there  is  some  consolation  amidst  the  risk  of  resisting 
and  quelling  it,  in  the  dignity  of  the  position.  But,  in  a  petty 
borough,  among  a  feeble,  hot-headed  set,  what  is  one  to  do  but 
leave  them  to  their  folly?  I  suppose  your  remonstrance  has 
kindled  their  zeal  anew.  In  every  other  part  of  the  State  your 
address  has  been  received  with  admiration.  A  second  edition 
has  been  printed,  in  consequence  of  the  first  impression  being 
entirely  taken  off.  It  is  quite  in  character,  however,  with  the 
petty  malice  of  a  community  like  Beaufort,  that  lies  at  the  mercy 
of  every  enemy,  to  resent  an  appeal  to  their  reason,  which,  com- 
ing as  it  does,  from  one  of  their  fellow  citizens  does  them  more 
honor  than  all  their  town  can  boast  of.  The  circumstances,  at 
which  you  have  hinted,  that  led  immediately  to  your  resigna- 
tion, are  not  known  here,  and  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  you 
resigned  rather  than  vote  for  convention.  Probably  it  is  as 
well  to  let  the  impression  remain  so.  The  editors,  I  believe, 
have  said  nothing  about  it,  though  from  my  stay  on  the  island 
I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  seeing  the  papers  regularly  It  will  be 
"touch  and  go,"  as  they  say,  about  a  convention.  If  we  break 
their  ticket  in  town  the  convention  is  lost;  if  we  do  not,  it  is 
perfectly  uncertain.  The  doubtful  districts  are  York,  Chester, 
Newbury,  Union,  Laurens,  Claremont,  Georgetown,  Barnwell, 
Abbeville.  Of  course  you  have  seen  Calhoun's  last  piece.  I 
think  it  requires  answering  and  that  he  is  entitled  to  some  credit 
for  the  skill  with  which  he  has  put  together  his  materials.  But 
it  is  a  paltry  affair.  Disconnected  from  the  excitement  of  the 
day,  the  reasoning  would  be  little  attended  to.  He  has  aban- 
doned the  old  ground  of  each  party  judging  tor  himselt,  and  now 
stands  altogether  upon  the  allegiance — the  exclusive  and  abso- 
lute allegiance  of  the  citizen  to  the  State.  There  is  no  such 
allegiance  and  his  declaration  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  the 


98  -^^/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

American  people  is  unworthy  of  a  citizen.  But,  even  if  it  was 
so,  the  difficulty  remains:  what  is  to  become  of  the  other  States? 
South  Carolina  is  not  entitled  to  their  allegiance  and  they  have 
not  merely  a  natural  but  a  positive  right  to  have  the  Constitu- 
tion enforced  on  the  people  of  South  Carolina.  I  hope  Mr. 
Cheves  will  take  up  the  argument  and  push  him  to  the  wall. 
We  are  working  very  hard  here  and  have  some  hope — a  good 
deal  of  hope;  in  fact,  we  don't  think  of  giving  up.  It  is  very 
desirable  that  we  should  know  what  are  the  Union  votes  in  every 
district.  I  have  been  told  repeatedly  you  ought  to  stand  again, 
which  I  have  discountenanced.  If  you  have  any  gentleman, 
however,  that  will  put  up  his  name,  merely  by  way  of  showing 
there  is  a  minority  and  what  it  is,  I  would  be  glad. 

Yours  truly, 

TO    WILLIAM    ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  October  3,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

I  am  going  off  to-morrow  to  Inabinets  in  St.  Georges  to  address 
some  citizens  at  a  barbecue,  and  can  not  put  off  acknowledging 
your  letter  of  the  26th  till  I  come  back,  considering  too,  that  it 
should  have  been  done  before.  I  hardly  know  what  to  think 
of  your  Beaufort.  For  a  quiet  and  rather  a  dull  place,  it  has 
become  another  name  for  sedition.  It  has  no  populace  and 
very  few  houses,  but  it  certainly  lacks  little  else  to  make  it  a 
match  for  the  most  seditious  place  in  Christendom.  I  have  no 
doubt,  however,  that  your  people  acted  by  order  and  that  the 
edict  was  to  purge  the  parishes.  The  movement  was  made  in 
St.  Helena,  St.  Bartholomews,  and  St.  Thomas.  I  suppose 
you  have  seen  Huger's  letter:  he  will  not  resign.  There  is  no 
sort  of  doubt  that  the  exaction  of  your  promise  to  abide  by  the 
voice  of  the  parish  in  regard  to  convention  was  unfair,  as  it  was, 
in  fact,  another  way  of  voting  for  nullification.  But  when  they 
claimed  your  vote  for  nullification  itself  it  was  downright  impu- 
dence. I  suppose  they  go  for  the  right  of  instruction  in  all  cases. 
A.  Huger's  brother  told  me  this  morning  he  ought  to  resign,  for 
a  representative  was  bound  to  obey  the  will  of  his  constituents. 
I  have  not  spoken  to  old  Deas  on  the  subject,  but  I  suppose  they 
will  determine  that  you  can  resign,  although  I  see  some  notice 
in  the  newspapers  of  doubts  and  Wardlaw  of  the  C^ro//>?z««  very 
impertinently  requests  you  to  change  places  with  Grayson.  I 
think,  if  I  were  in  your  place  I  would  not  attend  the  Senate  and 
let  them  get  out  of  the  difficulty  (if  there  is  any)  as  well  as  they 
can.  Arid  now  as  to  your  resigning,  I  think  you  were  perfectly 
right.  You  were  so  situated  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  you 
to  hold  on  without  doing  more  harm  than  good.  A  place  like 
Beaufort  is  very  different  from  St.  Thomas  Parish.    There  Huger 


James  Louis  Petigru  99 

may  hold  on  and  it  will  make  no  feud  nor  produce  any  quarrels. 
But  you  grieve  me  when  you  say  the  Union  party  has  melted 
away.  That  is  one  of  the  worst  symptoms  of  the  revolutionary 
times;  it  shows  either  madness  or  terror  when  everybody  seems 
anxious  to  be  in  the  majority  and  there  is  a  rush  for  whatever 
is  uppermost  in  parties.  So  we  shall  not  meet  at  Columbia, 
even  if  I  am  elected  and  that  is  a  great  doubt.  We  are  making 
great  efforts  but  the  Nullifiers  have  resorted  again  to  bribery. 
I  suspected  they  were  going  to  do  so  from  their  absurd  punc- 
tiliousness a  week  ago.  We  shall  expose  them  and  use  no  money 
and  if  our  rogues — I  mean  those  who  are  used  to  money — don't 
desert  we  shall  yet  do  well.  Ton  will  probably  lose  Christ 
Church.  Rose  will  have  a  contest  for  St.  Thomas  and  Shool- 
bred  is  a  candidate  with  some  prospects  from  St.  James  Santee. 
There  is  a  great  struggle  for  Goose  Creek;  we  have  an  unfor- 
tunate candidate,  Davis;  he  is  under  the  imputation  of  return- 
ing no  property  in  his  own  name.  We  are  very  anxious  to  run 
a  ticket  in  every  district  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  numerical 
strength,  but  I  suppose  there  will  be  none  in  any  part  of  Beau- 
fort district  but  St.  Luke's.  Do  send  over  the  Union  votes  if 
we  have  any,  to  give  Allston  a  help.  Does  not  Turner  own 
some  land  in  St.  Luke's?     Adieu. 

Yours  faithfully, 
P.  S. — I  hope  you  have  by  this  time  received  my  answer  to 
your  first  letter,  i.  e.,  the  first  after  you  had  resigned. 

Unpledged  Republican  Ticket 

Tames  R.  Verdier     \^  ^    . 

John  Fripp  \  Representatives. 

Ticket  printed;  nothing  else  at  present. 

Petigru  made  many  speeches  during  this  exciting  period.  All 
of  them  were  masterpieces  of  wit  and  humor.  Those  who  heard 
them  spoke  of  them  as  models  of  popular  eloquence.  They 
abounded  in  pithy  reasoning,  pointed  illustrations  and  apt  allu- 
sions. He  never  committed  the  mistake,  common  to  stump  ora- 
tors, of  attempting  to  lower  himself  to  the  level  of  his  audience, 
but  raised  them  to  his  own  level  of  good,  pure,  unadulterated 
and  forcible  English.  No  stilted  style  or  bombastic  language 
weakened  the  force  of  what  he  had  to  say.  In  one  of  these 
speeches,  at  a  meeting  in  a  neighboring  parish,  he  impressed 
upon  his  hearers  the  dangers  they  would  incur  if  the  Union  were 
dissolved. 

"I  see,"  he  said,  "some  broad-shouldered  and  deep-chested 
men  among  you;  but  who  of  this  assembly  would  undertake, 
with  all  his  muscular  power,  to  strip  off  with  a  single  pull  with 


100  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

both  hands  all  of  the  hair  from  the  tail  of  one  of  your  horses 
that  stand  hitched  behind  you  among  the  trees?  It  would  be 
impossible  for  the  strongest.  But  the  weakest  among  you,  if 
he  takes  the  hairs  one  by  one,  might  pull  them  all  off  very  easily 
and  leave  the  stump  as  bare  as  his  hand.  It  is  thus  that  dis- 
union would  expose  you  to  be  stripped  by  enemies  that  you  now 
despise." 

Coming  home  from  the  meeting,  Richard  Yeadon  said  to  him: 
"Where  did  you  get  your  horse's  tail?  Was  it  an  invention  pro- 
duced by  the  sight  of  the  countrymen's  horses?"  "No,  Dick," 
replied  Mr.  Petigru,  "I  got  the  horse  tail  from  Plutarch.  The 
tail  is  classical,  my  friend."* 

The  reminiscence  of  J.  H.  Dukes,  who  as  a  boy  heard  him  use 
these  words  at  a  meeting: 

"But  long  ere  the  day  comes  which  sees  these  United  States 
a  divided  nation,  I  do  trust  in  God  that  I  may  sleep  in  the  cold 
and  silent  grave  far  from  the  dissonance  of  that  wild  note  that 
shall  proclaim  the  triumph  of  misrule  and  downfall  of  my  coun- 
try's glory." 

The  intense  excitement  and  bitterness  over  the  city  election 
for  intendant  was  surpassed  by  the  ensuing  election  for  the  legis- 
lature. The  peace  was  in  peril  always  from  the  public  meetings 
of  the  two  parties.  These  meetings  were  held  by  the  Union 
men  at  Seyle's  long  room  between  Meeting  Street  and  King 
Street;  by  the  Nullifiers  at  the  "Circus." 

At  these  places  they  were  addressed  by  their  several  leaders; 
the  most  inflammatory  speeches  were  made  night  after  night, 
the  rank  and  file  denounced,  ridiculed  and  reviled  each  other. 
On  one  side  the  popular  tribunes  were  Hamilton,  Hayne,  Turn- 
bull  (Brutus),  Deas,  Pinckney  and  many  more;  on  the  other, 
Petigru,  Poinsett,  Drayton,  Huger,  and  their  assistants.  On 
one  side  the  epithets  "submissionist, "  "slave,"  "sneak,"  "cow- 
ard," "renegade,"  were  freely  applied.  On  the  other  the  terms 
Jacobin,  madman,  fool,  conspirator,  were  as  liberally  bestowed; 
and  so  they  went  on  uttering  phrases  of  contemptuous  scorn 
with  rival  zeal  and  earnestness. 

One  night  there  was  an  exciting  passage  between  the  two 
factions  when  they  nearly  came  to  blows,  and  it  was  always  con- 


*Grayson,  p.  124. 


James  Louis  Petigru  101 

sidered  a  very  critical  moment,  for  had  blows  been  dealt,  civil 
war  had  begun.  They  had  met  as  usual.  Some  were  armed; 
others  were  excited  with  liquor  or  with  passion.  The  customary 
harangues  were  made  and  a  large  amount  of  fuel  supplied  to 
their  patriotic  fires.  The  leaders  began  to  be  apprehensive 
of  the  consequences  of  their  own  work.  The  Circus  sent  a  note 
to  the  long  room,  advising  as  a  prudential  measure  that  the 
Union  men  should  retire  from  their  meeting  by  the  way,  not  of 
King  Street,  but  of  Meeting  Street.  King  Street  was  the  outlet 
of  the  Circus  assembly.  The  purpose  of  the  missive  was  a 
friendly  one  to  avoid  a  collision  between  the  two  bands.  The 
object  met  the  approbation  of  the  Union  chiefs.  The  note  was 
read  to  the  meeting  with  the  hope  that  its  suggestion  should  be 
followed.  Nothing  of  the  sort.  "What!"  it  was  said,  "shall 
they  dictate  to  us  by  what  route  we  shall  retire  to  our  homes? 
Would  they  make  us  the  slaves  they  already  call  us?  Who  will 
submit?  Not  one."  The  way  by  Meeting  Street  was  wide  and 
easy;  that  by  King  Street  was  narrow.  They  tore  down  fences 
to  go  out  by  the  King  Street  outlet;  they  tied  slips  of  white 
cotton  to  their  arms  for  recognition  and  marched  down  King 
Street,  breathing  defiance  to  their  enemies.  They  met, — the 
Union  men  going  down;  the  Nullifiers  going  up  the  street.  They 
stood  in  battle  array,  ardent  for  fight,  and,  like  Homer's  heroes, 
began  the  onset  by  abusing  each  other. 

But  fortunately  common  sense  and  right  feeling  had  not  quite 
deserted  the  leaders.  They  made  attempts  to  keep  the  peace 
and  finally  agreed  among  themselves  to  a  sort  of  compromise. 
The  hostile  meeting  occurred  just  at  the  point  where  Hasel 
comes  into  King  Street.  It  was  agreed  that  the  Union  party 
should  turn  into  Hasel  Street  provided  the  Nullifiers  did  not 
follow  them;  but  the  compact  was  not  kept.  The  insurgent 
party  pursued  their  foes.  Many  blows  were  aimed  at  Petigru. 
Drayton  and  Poinsett  were  both  struck  by  brickbats  but  were 
prudent  enough  to  keep  the  fact  from  the  knowledge  of  their 
followers.  An  ardent  NuUifier,  finding  himself  opposed  by  a 
common  laborer,  waved  him  aside  with  the  remark:  "I  will  not 
spill  your  base  plebeian  blood;  bring  forth  your  Draytons,  your 
Pringles  and  your  Hugers."  At  length  the  city  guard  was 
maneuvered  into  position  between  the  belligerent  parties  and 
they  retired  to  their  homes  or  to  the  taverns  to  recount  the 


102  J^iJ^-y  Letters  and  Speeches 

exploits  of  the  evening  and  prepare  new  broils  for  the  future. 
Mr.  Petigru  and  his  friends  retired  to  his  house  in  Broad  Street 
and  had  supper,  and  they  were  joined  by  General  Hamilton,  the 
leader  of  the  opposition.  Party  feeling  between  these  men  did 
not  destroy  their  personal  regard  of  friendship. 

Thousands  of  dollars  were  contributed  by  patriotic  gentlemen 
and  not  less  patriotic  ladies  towards  defraying  expenses  on 
either  side.  Voters  were  kidnapped  and  kept  locked  up  and 
under  guard  until  the  day  of  election.  Staid  citizens  and  rollick- 
ing youths  mingled  with  laboring  men  and  sailors  at  balls  in 
Elliott  Street  and  other  disreputable  places.  It  was  anything 
to  catch  a  vote.     Drunkenness  and  debauchery  were  in  the  air. 

The  result  of  the  election  was  that  the  Union  party  were 
defeated,  and  the  Nullifiers,  for  the  first  time,  got  control  of 
South  Carolina. 

The  nullification  contest  was  undoubtedly  the  culminating 
period  of  Mr.  Petigru's  political  life.  The  following  unstudied 
letter  to  his  friend,  Mr.  Hugh  S.  Legare,  then  in  Brussels,  is 
characterized  by  graphic  descriptions,  patriotic  sentiments  and 
prophetic  utterances.  From  a  relative  of  Mr.  Legare  these 
letters  came  into  the  hands  of  Prof.  Yates  Snowden,  with  whose 
permission  they  are  used.  They  have  previously  appeared  in  a 
"Life  of  James  L.  Petigru,"  by  Joseph  Blythe  Alston,  published 
in  the  Netscs  and  Courier  in  1900. 

TO   HUGH    S.    LEGARE,    BRUSSELS 

Charleston,  October  29,  1832. 
My  dear  Legare: 

Since  you  left  us  things  have  turned  out  as  fools  wished  and 
wise  men  expected.  The  city  election  with  all  our  pains  was 
lost.  Pinckney  beat  DeSaussure*  160  votes.  On  the  8th  and 
9th  we  were  defeated  again;  the  whole  Nullification  ticket  suc- 
ceeded by  an  average  majority  of  130.  The  governor's  procla- 
mation, like  one  of  Napoleon's  bulletins,  was  ready  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  victory,  and  was  read  in  all  the  districts  the  day  after 
the  election,  convening  the  legislature  on  the  22d.  You  know 
it  was  always  a  doubt  which  was  the  legislature  between  October 
and  November,  but,  as  Clayton  says,  he  that  doubts  is  damned 
nowadays.  The  convention  bill  was  dispatched  as  soon  as  it 
could  be  read,  and  the  legislature  adjourned  on  Friday,  and  the 
convention  is  to  be  elected  and  convene  between  this  and  the 


*Henry  A.  DeSaussure,  a  lawyer  of  Charleston. 


James  Louis  Petigru  103 

third  Monday  of  November  (19th).  Thus  you  see  that  we  are 
on  the  gallop  and  how  long  our  demagogues  will  keep  the  saddle 
no  one  knows.  The  spread  of  Jacobinical  opinions  has  been 
terrible. 

We  have  only  twenty-six  members  in  the  House  and  fourteen 
in  the  Senate.  The  Union  vote  throughout  the  State  is  about 
16,(X)0,  and  the  Nullification  23,000.  Our  country  friends  were 
terribly  taken  in.  In  Richardson's  district,  Claremont,  they 
were  beaten  300  and  in  Barnwell  by  500.  In  Abbeville  by  700. 
Charleston,  Georgetown,  Williamsburg  and  York  were  the  dis- 
tricts where  they  ran  an  equal  race.  In  Georgetown — two 
Union  men  to  one  Nullifier — the  vote  being  188  to  186.  In 
Williamsburg  a  tie  between  the  first  Union  and  the  first  Nulli- 
fier, and  in  York  we  were  beaten  by  twenty-five  votes.  Ton  is 
turned  out  in  Christ  Church  and  Deas  in  Camden.  We  had 
our  Union  convention  in  September  and  put  forth  our  southern 
convention  prospectus,  but  all  would  not  do.  Nothing  could 
supplant  nullification  but  something  that  would  go  ahead  of  it, 
and  as  far  as  South  Carolina  has  a  voice  her  fate  is  sealed.  Now 
the  question  comes  whether  our  Constitution  is  anything  better 
than  other  ware  of  that  kind  that  has  been  hawked  about 
since  1789.  What  a  pity  that  Lafayette  to  the  other  republican 
institutions  to  which  he  was  making  Louis  Philippe  a  convert  was 
not  able  to  add  State  rights.  The  Union  party  here  have  deter- 
mined not  to  support  any  ticket  for  the  convention.  Our  friends 
in  the  legislature  who  come  from  districts  where  they  have  the 
upper  hand  think  differently.  We  mean  to  reserve  ourselves 
for  the  ebb  tide.  How  long  we  shall  wait  is  a  very  serious  ques- 
tion. If  we  had  anybody  at  the  head  of  affairs  that  could  be 
depended  on  it  would  be  a  fair  chance  yet,  but  the  old  man*  seems 
to  be  more  than  half  a  Nullifier  himself,  and  we  are  compelled  to 
rely  for  the  best  of  our  hopes  on  the  doubtful  allegiance  of  Geor- 
gia. Wayne  received  the  greatest  vote  any  man  has  received  in 
Georgia  for  a  long  time,  9,000  more  than  Clayton,  but  Jones  is 
elected,  as  well  as  Clayton,  Foster  and  Gamble.  The  Troup 
men  seem  to  have  voted  together,  and  to  have  supported  their 
Nullifiers  most  strongly,  for  the  only  candidates  on  their  ticket 
who  were  left  out  (Haynes  and  Branham)  are  Union  men.  But 
the  Georgia  convention  assembles  next  Monday  night  and  the 
proceedings  will  throw  some  light  on  the  politics  of  that  State. 
Cummings  is  a  host  himself.  If  the  South  ever  gives  a  Presi- 
dent I  hope  it  will  be  he.  He  is  fit  for  the  very  highest  place  and 
the  mighty  improbability  that  he  ever  will  receive  it  is  a  beauti- 
ful commentary  on  the  superiority  of  our  elective  monarchy. 

The  turbulence  of  the  late  election  far  outdid  anything  you 
ever  saw  here.     We  were  beset  at  Seyle's  night  after  night  by  a 


'General  Jackson,  who  had  not  yet  pronounced  himself  against  the  Nullifiers. 


104  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

disorderly  mob  and  obliged  to  arm  ourselves  with  bludgeons 
and  march  out  in  files.  The  mob  crowded  on  us  with  every 
species  of  insult.  Their  leaders  entreated  us  to  retire,  as  their 
men  were  perfectly  disorderly  and  would  listen  to  nothing.  It 
was  with  great  difficulty  we  could  persuade  our  men  to  do  so. 
Many  blows  were  aimed  at  me;  Drayton  and  Poinsett  were  both 
struck  and  we  drew  off  our  people  amidst  every  species  of  insult 
and  abuse.  We  could  have  cleared  the  street,  and  it  would  have 
been  policy  to  do  so,  but  doubtless  the  parties  would  have  met 
the  next  time  with  muskets. 

After  the  city  election  a  treaty  took  place  between  the  parties 
to  prevent  bribery.  The  Nullifiers  construed  this  compact  as 
they  do  the  Constitution — they  gave  men  money  to  prevent 
them  from  selling  their  votes.  And  as  soon  as  we  complained 
and  said  the  compact  was  broken,  they  took  us  at  our  word  and 
dropped  the  disguise,  but  what  is  more,  stuck  up  great  placards 
headed,  "Compact  abandoned  by  the  Union  party."  Frank 
Wood  was  never  in  such  glory  and  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  con- 
ceive of  any  abuse  that  was  not  openly  practiced.  As  an 
example  the  paupers  were  discharged  by  Tom  Gantt  on  the  day 
of  election,  and  they  voted  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  his 
brother  managers,  backed  by  old  Turn  bull,  who  insisted  roundly 
that  as  they  were  discharged  from  the  Poor  House  they  had  a 
right,  and  that  they  ought  always  to  be  discharged  in  order  that 
they  might  enjoy  their  privilege.  There  appears  to  me  a  great 
increase  of  that  contempt  for  justice  that  seems  to  go  hand  in 
hand  with  every  revolution.  For  our  consolation,  however, 
religion  never  was  more  flourishing.  In  Beaufort  and  Walter- 
boro  its  triumphs  have  been  very  signal.  Robert  Barnwell 
and  Barnwell  Smith*  have  given  in  their  adhesion.  It  is  like 
Mahomet's  faith,  however.  They  combine  war  and  devotion, 
and,  in  fact,  it  seems  to  me  that  fanaticism  of  every  kind  is  on 
the  increase.  I  am  in  a  complete  state  of  uncertainty  myself. 
Uncertain  as  to  what  the  Nullifiers  will  do;  what  Congress  will 
do;  what  the  States  will  do.  Sometimes  I  think  it  will  all  pass 
off  in  smoke  and  noise,  but  these  are  rather  my  hopes  than  my 
opinions.  If  a  revolution  is  effected  I  am  doubtful  of  my  own 
course.  Should  it  come  to  an  affair  of  force  in  the  State  I  must 
take  my  share,  and  if  proscription  and  penal  laws  are  enforced  I 
must  emigrate.  But  in  fact  if  the  Union  is  severed  my  mind  is 
made  up  to  quit  the  negro  country.  But  where  to  go.''  aye, 
there's  the  rub. 

I  ought  to  mention  that  Alfred  Huger  has  absolutely  quit  the 
Nullifiers;  refused  to  vote  for  a  convention  and  refused  to  resign. 
You  may  judge,  therefore,  in  what  sort  of  odor  he  is.     Cheves, 


*Both  former  pupils  of  Mr.  Petigru,  and  Members  of  Congress  and  Senators 
from  South  Carolina. 


James  Louis  Petigru  105 

too,  has  made  a  wise  movement  of  the  same  kind.  He  has  writ- 
ten three  books  and  a  supplement  against  the  Nullificrs;  against 
the  40-bag;  against  the  convention,  and  against  the  call  of  the 
legislature,  but  they  both  quit  their  party  just  at  the  time  when 
they  could  spare  them  without  any  inconvenience,  and  they  have 
done  us  about  as  much  good  as  they  have  done  harm  to  the 
others. 

Your  mother  is  quite  well.  Your  sister  has  not  yet  returned. 
We  had  frost  last  night  for  the  first  time.  Your  kindness  to 
Charles  is  such  as  places  me  under  great  obligations.  Whether 
he  will  get  a  furlough  I  don't  know.  He  wishes  to  resign,  but 
the  idea  of  coming  to  Charleston  in  the  present  circumstances 
is  so  preposterous  that  I  rejected  it  altogether.  Your  letter  was 
a  great  boon  to  me.  Almost  the  first  thing  that  has  happened 
for  a  long  time  to  please  and  gratify  me.  Pray  don't  forget  me. 
I'll  try  and  keep  you  informed  of  what  passes  here  even  if  it  is 
but  little,  and  it  does  seem  to  me  that  our  revolution  has  less 
dignity  than  the  rest.     Adieu. 

Yours  faithfully, 

The  St.  Simoniens  are  excellent,  but  Figaro  is  full  of  wit. 
The  absence  of  all  wit  from  our  politics  is  another  proof,  I  sup- 
pose, of  our  superiority. 

J.  S.  Clayton  of  Georgia,  alluded  to  in  this  letter,  was  a  can- 
didate for  President  in  1824.  He  was  the  judge,  in  Georgia,  who 
sentenced  the  two  missionaries,  to  the  Cherokee  Indians,  to 
hard  labor.  This  decision  was  reversed  by  the  Supreme  Court 
in  1828.  In  1832  he  was  in  the  United  States  Senate,  opposed 
to  the  tariff  and  nullification.  He  was  said  to  be  a  great  stump 
speaker.  Mr.  Petigru  with  great  humor  often  reported  a  peror- 
ation of  one  of  his  speeches  as  follows: 

"Who  doubts  is  damned;  who  denies  is  a  dastard,  and  the 
very  commonest  hangman  would  consider  his  office  degraded  to 
nail  his  ears  to  a  door  post." 

Mr.  Petigru  evidently  expected  armed  coercion  by  the  national 
Government  in  case  nullification  was  put  into  full  effect,  and 
the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Elliott  as  to  the  collector  of  the  port 
of  Beaufort  is  significant: 

TO   WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Beaufort  Creek,  S.  B.  Margin,  November  18,  1832. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

Eest  I  should  not  see  you,  I  write  beforehand  to  tell  you,  that 
I  am  very  desirous  of  seeing  you  and  wish  to  converse  with  you 


106  J^iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

on  a  matter  of  consequence.  The  Government  is  wide  awake 
to  the  plot  of  our  demagogues  and  there  will  be  a  scene  before  a 
great  while,  for  I  understand  that  it  was  decided  before  the  call 
of  the  convention,  that  the  State  shall  secede  if  coercion  is 
attempted.  That  coercion,  very  vigorous  and  effective,  as  far 
as  the  old  man  is  concerned,  will  be  employed,  there  is  no  room 
to  doubt.  If  it  was  not  for  the  antipathy  of  the  National  Repub- 
licans to  the  administration,  there  would  be  no  doubt  at  all. 
What  with  their  want  of  all  confidence  in  the  General  and  their 
high  federal  principles,  it  is  difficult  to  say  which  course  they 
will  pursue.  As  hard  as  it  is  to  predict  what  Georgia,  between 
the  love  of  sedition  and  hate  of  Calhoun,  will  decide  on.  It  is 
probable  they  will  be  obliged  to  make  arrangements  concerning 
the  port  of  Beaufort.  Who  is  your  collector  at  present  and,  in 
case  of  the  office  being  vacant,  whom  would  you  recommend, 
that  is,  whom  would  you  secretly  and  privately  prefer.^  The 
patronage  of  the  Government  can  not,  of  course,  pass  through 
Barnwell's  hands,*  and  these  questions  the  administration  must 
ask  of  you.  Your  postmaster  is  sound?  If  he  were  otherwise 
employed,  who  would  be  fit  for  his  place.''  Do  write  me  to 
Savannah,  as  soon  as  you  receive  this.  I  hope  I  may  see  you 
and  if  I  am  to  leave  the  letter  for  you,  I  shall  leave  a  great  deal 
unsaid.  Recollect,  officers  of  vigilance  and  firmness  as  well  as 
integrity  are  necessary. 

Yours  truly, 

After  the  election  nullification  moved  rapidly  forward  with 
the  precision  of  well  adjusted  mechanism.  Governor  Hamil- 
ton, the  next  day,  by  proclamation  convened  the  legislature  for 
the  22d  of  October.  They  met  and  on  the  26th  passed  an  act 
ordering  a  convention  to  be  held  on  the  third  Monday,  the  19th 
of  November,  1832.  The  convention  accordingly  assembled. 
Governor  Hamilton  presided  as  president.  The  convention  was 
composed  of  162  members,  of  whom  136  were  NuUifiers.  It 
immediately  adopted  an  ordinance  that  the  acts  of  Congress  of 
May  19,  1828,  and  July  14,  1832,  were  null  and  void,  and  no  law 
in  South  Carolina,  and  not  binding  upon  the  State,  its  officers 
or  its  citizens;  that  no  duties  enjoined  by  that  law  or  its  amend- 
ments should  be  paid  or  permitted  to  be  paid  in  the  State  after 
the  1st  day  of  February,  1833.  The  ordinance  provided  that 
no  appeal  from  South  Carolina  courts  to  a  federal  court  should 
be  allowed,  such  an  appeal  to  be  considered  contempt  of  court, 
and  all  officers  and  jurors  were  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance; 

*Robert  Woodman  Barnwell,  then  member  of  Congress  from  the  district. 


James  Louis  Petigru  107 

South  Carolina  would  secede  if  the  United  States  proceeded  to 
enforce  anything  contrary  to  the  ordinance. 

The  legislature  met  again  at  its  usual  time,  the  4th  Monday  of 
November,  and  passed  laws  requisite  to  put  the  ordinance  in 
operation.  Goods  seized  by  the  custom  house  officers  might  be 
replevined;  the  militia  and  volunteers  might  be  called  out  and 
10,000  stands  of  arms  were  to  be  purchased. 

Robert  Y.  Hayne  resigned  from  the  United  States  Senate,  and 
on  the  13th  of  December,  1832,  was  elected  governor  of  South 
Carolina  without  opposition.  He  had  just  attained  his  41st 
year,  and  had  served  ten  years  as  Senator.  The  day  following 
the  election  of  the  governor,  Calhoun  was  elected  to  the  vacancy 
in  the  Senate;  for  this  purpose  he  resigned  the  office  of  Vice 
President  on  December  28th,  having  been  Vice  President  for 
eight  years.  Hayne  immediately  issued  a  proclamation  to  the 
legislature  as  follows: 

After  ten  years  of  unavailing  remonstrance  in  common  with 
other  southern  States,  South  Carolina  has  in  the  face  of  sisters 
of  the  federation  and  the  world,  put  herself  upon  her  sovereignty. 

*  *  *  She  was  compelled  to  assert  her  just  rights  or  sink 
into  a  state  of  colonial  vassalage.  If  South  Carolina  is  not  re- 
lieved by  a  satisfactory  adjustment  of  the  tariff  or  by  general 
convention  of  all  the  States,  she  has  declared  before  God  and 
man  that  she  will  maintain  the  position  that  she  has  assumed. 

*  *  *  She  is  anxiously  desirous  of  peace.  She  has  no  wish 
to  sever  the  political  bond  which  connects  her  with  the  other 
States;  but,  with  Thomas  Jefferson,  she  does  not  regard  the  dis- 
solution of  the  Union  as  the  greatest  of  evils;  she  regards  one  as 
greater,  viz.,  submission  to  a  Government  of  unlimited  power. 

*  *  *  I  recognize  no  allegiance  paramount  to  that  which 
the  citizens  of  South  Carolina  owe  to  the  State  of  their  birth  or 
adoption.  If  the  sacred  soil  of  South  Carolina  should  be  pol- 
luted by  the  footsteps  of  an  invader,  or  be  stained  with  the  blood 
of  her  citizens,  shed  in  her  defense,  I  trust  in  Almighty  God  that 
no  son  of  hers,  native  or  adopted,  who  has  been  nourished  at  her 
bosom,  or  been  cherished  by  her  bounty,  will  be  found  raising  a 
paricidal  arm  against  our  common  mother. 

This  inaugural  was  spoken  of  as  "the  most  successful  display 
of  eloquence  ever  heard." 

On  the  10th  of  December  the  Union  convention  met  in  Colum- 
bia, and  on  the  14th  presented  to  the  legislature  the  following 
remonstrance  and  protest,  and  adjourned.     Referring  to  this 


108  J^iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

paper,  Mr.  Petigru,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Legare,  says:  "The  first 
is  the  work  of  your  poor  friend,  and  the  last  was  concocted 
between  Poinsett  and  Memminger. " 

Remonstrance  and  Protest 
of  the  Union  and  States  Rights  party. 

The  Union  and  States  Rights  party  of  South  Carolina,  assem- 
bled in  convention,  do  remonstrate  and  solemnly  protest  against 
the  ordinance  passed  by  the  State  convention  on  the  24th  day  of 
November,  last. 

1st.  Because  the  people  of  South  Carolina  elected  delegates 
to  the  said  convention  under  the  solemn  assurance  that  these 
delegates  would  do  no  more  than  devise  a  preamble  and  consti- 
tutional remedy  for  the  evils  of  the  protective  tariff  without 
endangering  the  union  of  these  States.  Instead  of  which  that 
convention  has  passed  an  ordinance  in  direct  violation  of  all 
pledges. 

2d  Because  the  said  ordinance  has  insidiously  assailed  one  of 
the  inalienable  rights  of  man,  by  endeavoring  to  enslave  all  free- 
dom of  conscience,  by  that  tyrannical  engine  of  power, — a  test 
oath. 

3rd  Because  it  has  disfranchised  and  prescribed  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  freemen  of  South  Carolina,  for  an  honest  difference  of 
opinion,  by  declaring  that  those  whose  conscience  will  not  permit 
them  to  take  the  test  oath  shall  be  deprived  of  every  office,  civil 
and  military. 

4th  Because  it  has  trampled  under  foot  the  great  principles  of 
liberty  secured  to  the  citizens  by  the  constitution  of  this  State  in 
depriving  the  freemen  of  this  country  of  the  right  of  trial  by  jury, 
thereby  violating  that  clause  of  the  Constitution  intended  to  be 
perpetual  which  declares  that  "the  trial  by  jury  as  heretofore 
used  in  this  State  and  the  liberty  of  the  press  shall  be  forever 
inviolably  preserved." 

5th  Because  it  has  violated  the  independence  guaranteed  to 
the  judiciary,  by  enacting  that  the  judges  shall  take  a  revolting 
test  oath,  or  be  arbitrarily  removed  from  office,  thereby  depriv- 
ing them  of  the  right  of  trial  by  impeachment,  which  by  the 
Constitution  of  the  State  is  intended  to  be  secured  to  every  civil 
officer. 

6th  Because  the  ordinance  has  directly  violated  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States,  which  gives  authority  to  Congress  to 
collect  revenue,  in  forbidding  the  collection  of  any  revenue 
within  the  limits  of  South  Carolina. 

7th  Because  it  has  violated  the  same  constitution,  in  that 


James  Louis  Petigru  109 

provision  of  it  which  declares  that  no  preference  shall  be  given 
to  one  port  over  any  other  in  the  United  States,  by  enacting  that 
goods  shall  be  imported  into  the  ports  of  South  Carolina  without 
paying  duties. 

8th  Because  it  violates  the  same  Constitution,  and  tramples 
upon  the  rights  of  the  citizen  by  denying  him  the  privilege  of 
appeal  in  cases  in  law  and  equity  arising  under  the  Constitution 
and  laws  of  the  Union. 

9th  Because  it  has  virtually  destroyed  the  Union,  by  care- 
fully preventing  the  general  Government  from  enforcing  their 
laws  through  the  civil  tribunals  of  the  country,  and  then  enact- 
ing that  if  that  Government  should  pursue  any  other  mode  to 
enforce  them,  then  this  State  shall  be  no  longer  a  member  of  the 
Union. 

10th  Because  the  tyranny  and  oppression  inflicted  by  this 
ordinance  are  of  a  character  so  revolting  and  the  effects  antici- 
pated from  it  so  ruinous  that  the  commerce  and  credit  of  the 
State  are  already  sensibly  affected  and  will  soon  be  prostrated, 
and  its  peaceable  and  industrious  citizens  are  driven  from  their 
homes  to  seek  tranquility  in  some  other  State. 

The  Union  party  of  South  Carolina  in  convention,  do  further 
remonstrate  and  solemnly  protest  against  the  project  of  a  stand- 
ing army,  proposed  by  a  party  in  power,  as  dangerous  to  the 
liberties  of  the  people.  They  would  respectfully  ask  their  fellow 
citizens,  whether  such  an  army  must  not  be  confessedly  inade- 
quate to  protect  the  Nullification  party  against  the  people  of  the 
rest  of  the  United  States  should  they  resolve  to  coerce  them. 
What  other  object  therefore  can  such  a  force  accomplish  than  to 
serve  as  an  instrument  of  tyranny  over  their  fellow  citizens.'' 

This  convention  doth  further  protest  against  any  effort  by  a 
system  of  conscription  to  force  the  citizens  of  the  State  from 
their  firesides  and  their  homes,  to  take  up  arms  and  incur  the 
pains  and  penalties  of  treason,  in  support  of  a  doctrine  which  the 
people  were  assured  was  pacific  in  its  nature  and  utterly  incon- 
sistent with  any  danger  to  the  Constitution  of  the  Union. 

Solemnly  remonstrating  as  they  hereby  do  against  the  above 
mentioned  grievances,  the  Union  party  would  further  express 
their  firm  determination  to  maintain  the  principles  which  have 
ever  been  the  rule  of  their  conduct;  and  while  on  the  one  hand, 
they  continue  their  unfaltering  opposition  to  the  tariffs;  on  the 
other  they  will  not  be  driven  from  the  enjoyment  of  those  inalien- 
able rights  which  by  inheritance  belong  to  every  American  citi- 
zen. Disclaiming,  therefore,  all  intention  of  lawless  or  insur- 
rectionary violence  they  hereby  proclaim  their  determination  to 
protect  their  rights  by  all  legal  and  constitutional  means  and 
that  in  doing;  so  thev  will  continue  to  maintain  the  character  of 


110  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

peaceable  citizens,  unless  compelled  to  throw  it  aside  by  intol- 
erable oppression. 

Thomas  Taylor,  President. 

Henry  Middleton       1 

David  Johnson  I  r,.      „       j     . 

T>-  u     J  T   A/T        •        (■  yice-Frestdents. 
Richard  1.  Mannmg   I 

Starling  Tucker  J 

[Then  follows  the  names  of  the  members  of  the  convention.] 

Done  at  Columbia,  South  Carolina,  on  Friday,  14th  Decem- 
ber, 1 832,  and  in  the  57th  year  of  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

Attest:  Franklin  J.  Moses. 

James  Edward  Henry, 
Secretary  of  Convention  * 

President  Jackson  immediately  took  up  the  defiance  which 
South  Carolina  threw  down  to  the  Federal  Government.  Gen- 
eral Winfield  Scott  was  quietly  ordered  to  Charleston  for  the 
purpose,  as  the  President  confidentially  informed  the  collector, 
"to  superintend  the  safety  of  the  ports  of  the  United  States  in 
that  vicinity."  Troops  were  ordered  to  collect  within  conveni- 
ent distance  so  as  to  act  with  efliciency  should  the  occasion  re- 
quire.    Naval  vessels  were  also  sent. 

On  December  10,  1832,  the  President  issued  a  proclamation 
to  the  people  of  South  Carolina.  It  began  by  refuting  one  by 
one  the  leading  propositions  of  the  Nullifiers.  The  right  to 
annul  and  the  right  to  secede  as  claimed  by  them  was  shown  to 
be  incompatible  with  the  main  idea  and  object  of  the  Constitu- 
tion, which  was  "to  form  a  more  perfect  Union."  The  right 
of  the  State  to  secede  was  strongly  denied.  The  proclamation 
concluded  in  the  following  words:  "Fellow  citizens  of  my 
native  State,  let  me  not  only  admonish  you  as  the  first  magis- 
trate of  our  common  country  not  to  incur  the  penalty  of  its  laws, 
but  to  use  the  influence  that  the  fond  father  would  over  his  chil- 
dren whom  he  saw  rushing  to  certain  ruin.  In  that  paternal 
language  and  with  that  paternal  feeling  let  me  tell  you,  my 
countrymen,  you  are  deluded  by  men  who  are  deceived  them- 
selves or  wish  to  deceive  you." 

The  people  of  South  Carolina  were  astonished  and  thrown 
into  consternation  by  the  proclamation.     To  them  it  seemed 

*City  Gazette,  Friday,  December  21,  1832. 


James  Louis  Petigru  1 1 1 

inconsistent  and  not  in  accordance  with  the  theories  that  Jackson 
had  been  understood  to  hold.  They  ascribed  his  attitude  on 
this  question  to  his  hatred  of  Calhoun. 

The  proclamation  of  Jackson  was  received  in  South  Carolina 
on  the  16th  of  December.  The  legislature  immediately  issued 
the  following  resolution :  ''Whereas^  the  President  of  the  United 
States  has  issued  his  proclamation,  resolved,  that  his  excellency, 
the  governor,  be  requested  to  issue  forthwith  his  proclamation 
warning  the  good  people  of  the  State  against  the  attempts  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  to  seduce  them  from  their  allegi- 
ance, exhorting  them  to  disregard  his  vain  menace,  and  to  be 
prepared  to  sustain  the  dignity  and  protect  the  liberty  of  the 
State  against  the  arbitrary  measures  proposed  by  the  Presi- 
dent." 

Hayne  immediately  set  to  work  and  on  the  20th  of  December 
issued  his  counter-proclamation.  It  was  a  most  ardent  docu- 
ment; by  some  people  called  pugnacious;  and  was  considered 
the  most  perfect  for  the  occasion. 

In  the  counter-proclamation,  in  addition  to  the  usual  diffi- 
culties, he  also  was  embarrassed  by  the  protest  and  remonstrance 
of  the  Union  and  States  Rights  party,  which  could  not  be  lightlv 
disregarded.  The  proclamation  was  received  by  his  adherents 
with  applause,  and  by  his  adversaries  with  ridicule. 

Arms  and  supplies  had  been  procured  by  the  State  gov^ern- 
ment;  it  was  decided  to  garrison  the  citadel.  Men  and  women 
wore  the  blue  cockade,  and  the  State  was  ready  for  civil  war. 
A  spark  at  any  moment  would  cause  an  explosion.  General 
Scott  with  the  United  States  forces  and  two  gun  boats  were  on 
hand  to  "pacify"  the  people.  It  is  rather  interesting  to  note 
that  2d  Lt.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  4th  Artillery,  was  at  this  time 
stationed  at  Fort  Moultrie. 

Petigru  graphically  describes  the  situation  in  the  following 
letter: 

TO  HUGH  S.  LEGARE,  BRUSSELS 

Charleston,  December  21,  1832. 
My  Dear  Legare: 

Though  I  am  staying  at  home  and  you  are  seeing  far  and 
strange  countries,  yet  probably  I  am  really  in  the  midst  of  a 
scene  more  curious  than  those  you  have  an  opportunity  of  ob- 
serving.    I  wrote  you  I  forget  the  date  and  told  you  of  the  great 


1 1 2  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

and  overwhelming  success  of  the  Nullification  ticket.  The 
election  was  hardly  declared  before  Jack  Irving  got  upon  a 
table  at  the  door  of  the  State  House  and  read  the  governor's 
proclamation  calling  the  legislature,  that  is,  the  new  members, 
on  the  16th  October.  The  proclamation  had  been  prepared 
beforehand  in  anticipation  of  the  victory.  The  legislature  met 
and  by  two-thirds  of  both  branches  called  a  convention.  The 
convention  election  went  subsilentio.  We  ran  no  ticket  in  the 
low  country,  nor  in  any  of  the  districts  above  but  those  where 
we  had  a  decided  majority.  The  consequence  was  they  put  on 
their  ticket  those  aspirants  for  distinction  that  had  never  been 
blessed  with  such  a  testimony  of  confidence  before.  And  the 
convention  was  in  fact  the  plain  tool  of  McDuffie  and  Hamilton, 
They  passed  without  debate  an  ordinance  which  has  gone  far 
beyond  what  they  had  promised;  nullifies  everything  and  offers 
to  the  general  Government  no  alternative  except  between  sub- 
mission and  secession.  The  legislature,  which  had  adjourned 
after  the  convention  bill,  re-assembled  on  the  fourth  Monday 
of  November  and  have  been  in  session  ever  since.  Our  Union 
convention  met  on  the  10th  instant.  We  mustered  very  strong 
and  the  great  majority  of  them  were  disposed  for  strong  meas- 
ures. But  Johnson,  O'Neall  and  Manning  were  placed  in  a 
situation  of  great  embarrassment.  They  had  been  coaxed  and 
flattered  as  far  as  they  could  be  coaxed  and  flattered  and  they 
were  committed  by  speeches,  declaring  they  would  go  with  the 
State,  etc.  It  had  been  confidently  asserted  that  Johnson  and 
O'Neall  would  not  take  the  test  oath.  But  I  soon  found  this 
was  a  mistake.  Yet  they  were  exceedingly  averse  to  affirm 
their  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  and  urged  the  policy  of 
making  no  pledge  against  obedience  to  nullification.  They 
gave  up  in  the  end  the  first,  and  we  conceded  the  last,  leaving 
the  inference  that  we  would  not  take  the  oath  nor  bear  arms 
against  the  Government  to  be  drawn  from  what  we  avowed 
rather  than  from  what  we  promised.  You  will  read  the  report 
and  the  protest.  The  first  is  the  work  of  your  poor  friend  and 
the  last  was  concocted  between  Poinsett  and  Memminger.  It 
was  understood  that  if  we  would  not  resolve  to  disobey  the  ordi- 
nance, but  confine  ourselves  to  the  impeachment  of  it,  the  legis- 
lature would  not  enforce  the  test  oath  nor  levy  the  10,000  men 
which  are  to  form  the  standing  army  of  Carolina,  and  so  far  it 
seems  probable  that  they  will  blink  the  ordinance.  We  re- 
mained in  session  from  Monday  to  Friday  and  then  adjourned. 
And  the  following  Monday  came  the  President's  proclamation 
which  you  may  well  suppose  created  a  monstrous  sensation. 
They  were  going  here  to  burn  the  old  man  in  effigy,  but  the  cer- 
tainty of  raising  a  mob  and  Ben  Hunt,  in  the  absence  of  Hayne 
and  Hamilton,  being  in  command  of  the  militia,  they  wisely 
receded  from  their  intent.     In  the  legislature,  however,  it  has 


James  Louis  Petigru  113 

put  the  Nullifiers  into  a  roasting  ferment  and  what  they  mav 
do  is  uncertain.  In  the  meanwhile  the  forces  of  the  general 
Government  are  concentrating  at  this  place.  General  Scott 
is  at  Sullivan's  Island,  more  men  are  daily  expected  and  the 
revenue  cutters  in  the  harbor  are  on  the  lookout.  What  effect 
will  these  things  have  on  the  community.''  I  believe  a  great 
many  are  amazed  as  in  waking  from  a  dream  to  find  that  which 
they  considered  one  of  the  simplest  things  in  the  world  is  going 
to  turn  out  the  parent  of  war,  prostration  of  commerce  and  a 
military  government. 

I  had  a  conversation  with  Carew  to-day.  He  spoke  guardedly 
but  is  evidently  alarmed.  Many  of  them  say  they  have  been 
deceived.  That  they  were  for  constitutional  nullification  (Cal- 
houn nullification),  and  had  no  idea  of  what  has  come  to  pass, 
which  is  just  what  the  Union  men  foretold.  Yet  whether  they 
will  be  able  to  break  the  chains  is  doubtful.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  lessons  of  history  and  will  prove  very  edifying 
no  doubt  to  those  who  read  it  hereafter.  The  war  and  revolu- 
tion party  are  a  decided  minority,  but  they  have  got  an  ascen- 
dancy which  gives  them  an  absolute  control  over  the  weak  minds 
of  that  numerous  class  who  are  afraid  or  ashamed  to  think  for 
themselves.  The  idea  of  "going  for  my  own  State"  is  a  stum- 
bling block.  And  the  demagogue  is  in  effect  the  State.  The 
President's  proclamation  is  a  singular  paper  to  be  sure.  It  con- 
tains some  high  federal  doctrine,  which  seems  to  come  from  Jack- 
son most  oracularly,  as  if  the  priest  was  giving  utterance  to  what 
the  Deity  forces  from  him,  without  any  volition  on  his  part. 
You  will  ask  how  we  all  feel.''  Like  men  in  a  revolution,  care- 
less, heedless;  eat,  drink  and  be  merry,  for  to-morrow  we  die. 
It  will  be  hardly  possible  to  come  off  without  a  sedition  and  the 
shedding  of  blood.  If  it  was  left  to  Governor  Hayne  it  might 
be,  but  Hamilton  don't  trust  him  twenty-four  hours  to  himself. 
The  general  opinion,  I  believe,  of  their  own  party  is  that  Hamil- 
ton is  as  much  governor  as  ever,  except  in  name.  And  when 
McDuffie  is  present  he  is  protector  over  them  both.  There  is, 
however,  an  opposite  in  the  House  and  another  in  the  Senate. 
Frost,  Ball,  Noble  in  the  House;  in  the  Senate,  Campbell,  and  I 
believe  Patterson,  relent  against  war  and  proscription — in  fact 
against  the  letter  and  spirit  of  the  ordinance. 

Martin,  Earle  and  Evans  don't  wish  to  take  the  oath.  And, 
strange  to  tell,  old  Gantt  is  a  non-juror.  DeSaussure  and  Rich- 
ardson are  firm  as  a  rock.  Henry  A.  surprised  us  all  by  his 
intrepidity;  he  and  Toomer  were  against  the  negative  pregnant 
in  the  report,  which,  by  professing  obedience  to  what  is  lawful, 
implied  the  not  distant  probability  of  open  resistance  o  meas- 
ures pronounced  unlawful.  They  were  for  speaking  plain.  The 
people  of  Horry  are  perfectly  willing  to  take  arms  They  don't 
philosophize  at  all.     The  Spartanburg,  Greenville  and  Lancaster 


114  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

men  are  of  the  same  way  of  thinking — they  sympathize  fully 
with  the  old  man  that  disunion  is  treason.  Your  reflections  on 
the  "limitary  cherub,"  who  sets  the  march  of  mind  at  scorn  and 
keeps  men  in  the  beaten  track,  are  perfectly  just.  All  our 
republican  tricks,  so  keenly  described  by  Mrs.  Trollope,  will 
hardly  save  us  from  the  catastrophe  of  more  polished  States. 
The  discipline  of  liberty  is  too  severe.  It  is  like  temperance  at 
a  feast — a  happy  state  of  self-denial. 

I  ought  to  include  in  this  imperfect  abstract  something  about 
religion.  It  flourishes  more  and  more — fanaticism  of  all  kinds 
spreads.  Cooper  is  acquitted  and  extolled.  Barnwell  Smith 
and  Robert  Barnwell  are  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  it  is  an- 
nounced that  Henry  L.  Pinckney  will  oppose  Dr.  Palmer  for 
the  church,  if  he  does  not  oppose  Colonel  Drayton  for  Congress. 
I  say  nothing  of  European  affairs,  for  I  want  you  to  tell  me  of 
them.  I  wish  Charles  could  go,  but  am  afraid  he  can't.  Adieu, 
my  dear  Legare. 

Your  friend  till  death. 


James  Louis  Petigrii  115 


CHAPTER  XVI 

1833 
Repeal  of  Nullification 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Governor  Hayne  was  to  appoint  Ex- 
Governor  Hamilton  brigadier-general,  and  assign  him  to  the 
command  of  the  State  troops  which  had  been  called  out.  Gen- 
eral James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  as  he  is  hereafter  known,  immediately- 
proceeded  with  his  usual  enthusiasm  and  energy  to  organize  and 
equip  the  army  of  South  Carolina. 

Both  sides  were  ready  for  action.  Calhoun  had  directed  that 
no  overt  act  should  be  committed,  and  with  no  small  difficulty 
the  leaders  managed  to  restrain  their  excited  followers. 

On  the  21st  of  January,  1833,  the  Nullifiers  held  a  meeting 
at  the  "Circus."  Hamilton  made  a  very  fiery  speech  and  was 
quite  ready  to  precipitate  the  conflict.  However,  it  was  finally 
decided  to  defer  putting  into  effect  the  ordinance  of  nullification 
from  the  first  of  February  to  the  first  of  March. 

Many  of  the  State  legislatures  had  met;  but  none  of  them  en- 
dorsed the  action  of  South  Carolina.  On  the  26th  of  January 
the  legislature  of  Virginia  passed  an  act  offering  to  mediate  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  South  Carolina.  Accordingly,  the 
honorable  Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh  was  appointed  commis- 
sioner for  that  purpose,  and  arrived  at  Charleston  on  the  4th  of 
February.  He  immediately  requested  Governor  Hayne  to 
communicate  to  the  convention  the  resolution  of  the  legislature 
of  Virginia,  and  asked  that  the  ordinance  of  nullification  be 
suspended  until  the  close  of  the  session  of  Congress.  He  was 
assured,  that  from  information  they  had  of  the  bills  before  Con- 
gress, this  would  be  done. 

On  February  13,  1833,  the  president  of  the  convention  ordered 
it  to  convene  on  the  11th  of  March, 

On  the  16th  of  January  Jackson  sent  a  message  in  which  he 
informed  Congress  of  conditions  in  South  Carolina,  and  asked 
for  the  passage  of  an  act  known  as  the  "Force  Bill."  He  also 
referred  in   his  message  to  the  Supreme  Court  as  the  proper 


116  Life y  Letters  and  Speeches 

authority  to  decide  the  constitutionality  of  the  tariff.  Calhoun, 
in  reply  to  this  message,  declared  that  South  Carolina  was  not 
hostile  to  the  Union;  and  he  made  the  point  that  the  Nullifiers 
had  always  wished  to  get  the  tariff  before  the  Supreme  Court, 
but  there  was  no  way  of  doing  so. 

On  the  12th  of  February  Clay  introduced  in  the  Senate  his 
compromise  bill  to  supersede  all  other  propositions.  This  pro- 
vided that  all  duties  over  20%  were  to  be  reduced  one-tenth 
every  other  year  for  ten  years,  and  then  to  be  a  general  horizontal 
reduction  of  20%.  By  an  agreement  with  Calhoun  this  was 
carried  out. 

The  "Force  Bill"  was  passed  on  the  26th  of  February,  and 
the  compromise  bill  on  the  27th,  and  became  a  law  on  the  3d  of 
March,  the  same  day  that  the  tariff  of  July  14,  1832,  went  into 
effect. 

On  March  11,  1833,  the  convention  in  South  Carolina  assem- 
bled. They  immediately  repealed  the  ordinance  of  nullification, 
and  passed  another  ordinance  nullifying  the  "Enforcement 
Act,"  and  adjourned.  It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  the  last  act 
was  a  joke,  or  was  seriously  meant. 

Everybody  was  satisfied  except  the  extremists,  who  would 
have  been  glad  to  have  had  things  pushed  to  the  worst.  Both 
sides  claimed  the  victory,  one  party  because  the  duties  were 
paid;  the  other  because  the  tariff  was  reduced;  and  the  pride 
of  both  was  satisfied.  During  the  period  of  nullification 
Petigru  was  undoubtedly  the  head  of  the  Union  party,  but  after 
doing  most  of  the  work,  with  his  accustomed  modesty,  he  put 
forward  his  friends  into  the  most  prominent  places;  hence  some 
historians  claim  the  post  for  Poinsett,*  who  had  occupied  posi- 
tions of  honor  under  the  Government  and  was  prominent  on 
account  of  his  scientific  and  social  attainments. 

Petigru's  letters  of  this  period  are  humorous  but  earnest  de- 
scriptions of  events. 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  February  5,  1833. 
If  you  knew,  my  dear  Legare,  how  happy  one  of  your  letters 
makes  me  you  would  think  it  unjust  to  feel  or  express  any  doubt 
of  my  zeal.     As  your  letters  come  regularly,  though  at  long 

*Pa.  Mag.  of  Hist,  and  Biog.,  Vol.  XII,  No.  3. 


James  Louis  Petigru  117 

intervals  after  posting,  I  hope  all  mine  will  arrive  in  time.  I 
received  yours  of  the  6th  December  on  the  4th  instant.  I  had 
previously  received  those  of  16th  and  23d  October  and  20th 
November.  Our  two-penny  resolution  is  smoking  still,  but  the 
blaze  has  not  yet  broken  out.  The  bold  hand  with  which  Mc- 
Duffie  raised  the  veil  and  showed  the  people  constitutional  nulli- 
fication in  the  ordinance  staggered  the  folks  a  little.  They  were 
not  prepared  for  secession;  they  were  not  prepared  for  the  test 
oath,  but  the  chain  of  party  is  nearly  as  strong  as  the  yoke  of 
power.  Few  changes  have  taken  place  and  those  who  were 
Nullifiers  are  NuUifiers  still,  and  the  catch  word,  "I  go  for  my 
State,"  is  an  answer  to  all  objections.  Yet  the  legislature  did 
not  venture  to  follow  the  ordinance  with  equal  steps.  They 
gave  ground  on  the  test  oath  and  the  law  which  they  passed  to 
carry  this  part  of  the  ordinance  into  effect  requires  all  officers 
hereafter  to  be  elected  to  take  that  oath  upon  entering  into 
office;  but  those  already  in  are  to  take  it  whenever  they  are 
called  on  officially  to  bear  a  hand  in  the  execution  of  the  ordi- 
nance. If  they  had  pressed  that  oath  upon  the  incumbents 
five  judges  would  have  walked,  Johnson,  O'Neall,  DeSaussure, 
Richardson  and  (would  you  believe  it?)  Gantt.  Our  Union 
convention  assembled  on  the  10th  December;  we  mustered 
strong.  I  have  already  written  to  you  about  that  and  the 
President's  proclamation,  which  came  the  day  after  we  ad- 
journed. Like  spoiled  children  the  Nullifiers  wailed  aloud  and 
screamed  out  that  the  President  was  coming  to  butcher  us  and 
all  that  sort  of  thing.  The  bills  for  carrying  the  ordinance  into 
effect  were  passed.  Hayne  was  made  governor,  Calhoun  sena- 
tor, Barnwell  Smith,  attorney-general,  and  a  law  was  passed  to 
garrison  the  citadel  in  Charleston  with  sixty  men.  They  find 
it  difficult  to  raise  this  small  force — only  twenty-four  are  en- 
listed yet.  Meetings,  however,  have  been  held  and  harangues 
made  to  induce  the  citizens  to  volunteer  to  mount  the  blue 
cockade  and  offer  their  services  to  the  State.  In  this  thing  they 
are  successful  enough;  nor  perhaps  is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  for 
they  are  careful  to  tell  them  that  there  is  no  danger;  that  the 
Constitution  is  a  shield  and  the  President  can't  touch  them. 
They  sent  Philip  Cohen  and  Rutledge  Holmes  to  the  North  to 
make  purchases  of  arms,  and  have,  it  is  said,  laid  in  a  great  quan- 
tity. This  is  done  openly.  Secretly  they  have  made  arrange- 
ments on  the  great  roads  to  Columbia  and  from  Columbia  to 
Charleston  for  provisions  and  subsistence.  On  the  21st  of  Janu- 
ary the  association  met  in  Charleston.  They  had  Preston  in 
addition  to  their  city  oratory  and  Governor  Hamilton  told 
them  the  chiefs  had  agreed  to  wait  till  4rh  March  to  see  if  Ver- 
plank's  bill  would  pass.  That  he  had  shipped  a  cargo  of  rice  to 
Havana  for  a  return  of  sugars;  that  he  intended  to  let  his  sugars 
go  into  the  custom  house  stores,  but  when  the  4th  March  comes 


118  -^^/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

if  the  tariff  was  not  repealed  he  expected  them  to  go  to  their 
deaths  with  him  for  his  sugars,  which  was  received  with  great 
applause.*  The  President  afterwards  sent  a  message  to  Congress 
on  South  Carolina  affairs,  which  has  given  rise  to  a  bill  reported 
in  the  Senate  to  empower  the  President  to  collect  the  revenue. 
The  first  section  authorizes  him  to  remove  the  custom  house  in 
case  of  danger  to  the  fort.  The  rest  is  copied  nearly  from  the 
law  of  1792  for  suppressing  the  whiskey  insurrection  and  the 
embargo  act  of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury.  This  bill  is  now 
before  the  Senate  and  Webster  appears  as  the  supporter  of  the 
Constitution  and  the  antagonist  of  Calhoun.  Expectation  is 
big  with  the  approaching  conflict  between  these  champions. 
The  first  sound  was  only  a  preliminary,  but  it  is  plain  Webster 
took  the  upper  hand  and  Calhoun  betrayed  a  most  feverish 
excitement. 

In  the  meantime  the  eyes  of  men  have  been  turned  to  Virginia. 
They  were  for  weeks  engaged  on  federal  relations,  nullification 
and  the  President's  proclamation.  At  last  they  adopted  reso- 
lutions condemning  nullification;  condemning  the  tariff  and  re- 
questing South  Carolina  to  suspend  the  ordinance.  Benjamin 
Watkins  Leigh  was  elected  to  come  to  South  Carolina  and  en- 
force this  appeal.  He  is  come;  he  arrived  here  on  Sunday.  I 
called,  but  he  was  out.  On  Tuesday  the  city  council  resolved 
that  he  be  requested  to  consider  himself  the  guest  of  the  city 
and  to  dine  with  the  worshipful  council  on  Friday.  My  im- 
pression is  from  all  this  fuss  that  they  mean  to  accept  his  medi- 
ation. I  don't  know  whether  to  wish  it  or  not.  I  am  afraid 
it  will  only  prolong  the  despotism  that  now  prevails.  For  the 
power  of  the  chiefs  is  complete  tyranny,  and  while  they  can 
keep  the  minds  of  their  followers  up  to  fever  heat  they  can  do 
what  they  please  with  them.  And  if  they  suspend  their  action 
now  the  interval  will  be  employed  in  agitation,  and  they  will 
make  it  appear  that  Virginia  is  an  ally.  They  have  no  other. 
Forsyth  and  Cumming  have  beaten  them  in  Georgia.     Their 


*Miss  Maria  H.  Pinckney,  eldest  daughter  of  General  C.  C.  Pinckney  and  Gen- 
eral Hamilton,  imported  a  cargo  of  sugar  in  order  to  have  a  practical  test  of  the 
working  of  the  tariff  law.  It  is  said  that  General  Hamilton  demanded  the  sugar 
of  the  collector,  Mr.  James  R.  Pringle,  stating  that  he  "did  not  care  a  d —  as  to 
the  amount  of  the  tax,  but  declined  to  pay  it  on  principle."  The  collector 
replied  that  neither  did  he  "care  a  d —  for  the  amount  of  the  duty  but  would 
hold  the  sugar  according  to  law."  No  soldiers,  with  drums  and  banners,  were 
ordered  out  to  capture  the  sugar,  but  General  Hamilton  published  a  rather  sar- 
castic article  in  the  paper  concerning  the  collector.  The  collector,  with  blood 
in  his  eye,  sought  the  editor  and  insisted  upon  knowing  the  author  of  the  article. 
A  duel  was  expected;  however,  wiser  counsel  prevailed  and  the  matter  was  ami- 
cably adjusted  and  so  ended  this  opera  bouffe  performance.  Tradition  does  not 
record  what  finally  became  of  the  sugar. 


James  Louis  Petigru  119 

Milledgeville  convention  has  proved  an  abortion.  You  know 
they  recommend  a  convention  of  Southern  States,  or  as  many  as 
would  join,  and  books  were  to  be  opened  in  all  counties  to  take 
the  votes  of  the  people  on  the  point.  No  books  have  been 
opened  at  all,  except  in  one  or  two  counties,  and  there  the 
proposition  was  voted  down.  Tnjup  has  published  a  letter 
telling  them  to  beware  of  conventions  of  all  sorts  and  that  there 
is  no  such  constitutional  remedy  as  they  are  in  search  of. 

In  all  the  other  States  it  has  been  the  same  way.  Virginia 
is  the  only  one  that  offers  help  and  she  offers  only  her  advice  to 
get  out  of  the  scrape. 

Yet  there  is  a  vague  feeling  of  discontent  and  a  tendency  to 
embrace  the  new  superstition  in  a  considerable  party  in  all  the 
Southern  States,  and  while  South  Carolina  is  in  open  sedition, 
with  the  elements  of  discord  all  around,  we  have  too  much  rea- 
son to  be  alarmed  about  that  explosion  which  a  spark  may 
produce. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution  the  old  man  directed  Mr.  Pringle 
to  cause  the  vessels  entering  the  harbor  to  anchor  under  the 
guns  of  Castle  Pinckney,  and  on  the  1st  of  February  the  new 
regulation  went  into  operation.  Ogilvy  seemed  disposed  to 
make  some  fuss  about  an  Englishman  that  was  stopped,  but  it 
went  no  further.  The  Mercury,  now  edited  by  Stuart,*  mouths 
about  it,  of  course,  and  considers  it  a  gross  insult  to  take  no 
notice  of  the  proceedings  at  the  Circus  on  the  21st  of  Januarv, 
which  were  an  authentic  declaration  that  they  would  not  nullify 
in  effect  till  March.  It  is,  therefore,  highly  improper  in  the 
President  to  begin  in  February  to  prevent  them. 

I  approve  highly  of  your  notion  of  inditing  a  public  epistle, 
address  it  to  Cumming.  It  will  take  the  attention  of  the 
Georgians,  who  are  more  likely  to  be  influenced  by  reasons. 
You  express  with  more  force  than  any  other  man  the  feelings 
which  are  excited  by  a  contemplation  of  the  overthrow  of  our 
institutions,  and  I  think  you  can  do  great  good  by  such  a  letter 
among  the  people  that  are  not  totally  perverted.  Cheves  did 
nothing  by  his  essay  and  Alfred  Huger  did  not  even  carrv  St. 
Thomas.  It  is  very  dangerous  to  tamper  with  the  devil.  They 
had  given  countenance  to  most  mischievous  errors,  and  when 
they  would  repair  the  error  it  was  too  late. 

We  have  in  the  harbor  the  Natchez  and  several  cutters. 
Bankhead  is  on  the  island.  Tantzinger  commands  the  Natchez 
and  Elliott  is  port  admiral.  I  have  been  to  Savannah,  was  re- 
tained by  Dr.  Minis,  who  was  tried  for  murder.  He  was  ac- 
quitted. It  was  a  worse  case  than  that  of  the  poor  fellow  whom 
you  prosecuted  last  May.  The  citizens  of  Savannah  were 
desperately  against  him.     They  made  up  a  purse  of  eight  hun- 

*John  Alexander  Stuart  of  Beaufort,  a  brother-in-law  of  Robert  Barnwell  Rhett. 


120  ^^/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

dred  dollars  for  Seaborn  Jones,  who  came  from  Columbus  to 
prosecute.  At  a  meeting  of  the  people  in  Beaufort  district  All- 
ston*  took  the  floor  and  poured  a  volley  among  the  Nullifiers 
that  shook  them  terribly.  Young  Hayne  flew  into  a  violent 
passion  and  used  words  that  brought  on  a  challenge  and  they 
were  only  prevented  from  fighting  by  the  accidental  arrival  of 
Judge  Huger  in  the  neighborhood,  who  repaired  to  the  ground 
and  reconciled  the  dispute. f 

My  wife  receives  your  kind  messages  with  great  pleasure  and 
requests  to  be  remembered.  Tom  is  in  the  Mediterranean,  safe 
and  sound  when  we  heard  from  him  last.  Your  mother  and 
sister  are  well.     Adieu. 

Yours  ever, 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARF. 

Charleston,  March  5,  1833. 
I  received  on  Saturday  your  letter  of  the  26th  December, 
which  was  the  greatest  treat  in  that  way  that  ever  happened  to 
me.  I  read  it  over  and  felt  my  face  burn  with  anger  and  with 
shame.  On  Sunday  I  read  it  to  Judge  Huger,  Mr.  Pringle  and 
Mr.  Wm.  Heyward  and  Commodore  Elliott  and  the  Judge  in- 
sisted on  its  being  printed.  I  doubted  my  authority,  for  the 
publication  of  such  a  letter  is  drawing  the  sword.  The  Judge 
proposed  the  suppression  of  the  very  strong  passages,  but  I 
knew  you  would  have  a  horror  of  the  emasculating  process;  yet, 
in  fact,  I  rose  on  Monday  (that  was  yesterday),  intending  to 
print,  when,  to  the  astonishment  of  my  weak  mind,  and,  take 
care  you  are  not  astonished  yourself,  the  morning  papers  con- 
tained the  news  received  by  the  Journal  express  in  New  York 
and  forwarded  here  by  a  vessel  (in  advance  of  the  mail)  that  a 
compromise,  a  coalition  between  Clay  and  Calhoun  has  hushed 
the  din  of  war.  Thus  it  is  still  delirant  reges^  etc.,  and  our  great 
vulgar  and  little  vulgar  are  too  happy  to  bear  all  the  expense 
for  the  privilege  of  taking  sides.  You  will  ask  if  any  joyful 
bonfires  have  been  kindled?  If  enemies  have  embraced?  and 
the  news  of  peace  been  hailed  with  enthusiasm?  I  have  seen 
nothing  like  it.  Strange  to  say  I  had  been  invited  some  days 
before  to  dine  at  Colonel  Pinckney's  that  same  day,  and  except 
Captain  Martin,  of  R.  N.,  there  was  nobody  for  me  to  talk  to, 
and  I  never  saw,  certainly  in  that  house,  so  much  constraint. 
The  enforcing  bill  is  still  before  the  House,  and  McDufiie  has 
(just  Uke  him)  given  notice  of  his  intention  to  prevent  its  pass- 


*The  Allston  referred  to  in  the  above  letter  was  Ben  Allston,  of  St.  Luke's,  who, 
unlike  his  cousins  Joseph  W.  Allston  and  R.  F.  W.  Allston,  of  Georgetown,  was 
a  strong  Union  man. 
iA  duel  afterwards  took  place  between  them  and  Allston  was  shot  in  the  leg. 


James  Louis  Petigru  121 

ing,  by  calling  the  yeas  and  nays,  and  moving  adjournments  till 
the  end.  It  is  probable  that  it  will  pass.  But  as  the  tariff  is 
now  put  on  the  ground  that  they  require,  I  suppose  the  conven- 
tion will  repeal  their  ordinance  and  there  will  be  no  occasion  for 
the  powers  which  this  bill  gives  the  President.  I  can  not  sup- 
pose that  Hamilton  will  be  so  crazy  as  to  attack  P'ort  Moultrie, 
for  his  sugar  (twenty  boxes)  there,  which  has  been  imported, 
to  play  Hampden  with. 

As  I  shall  send  this  letter  by  Washington,  it  is  certain  you 
will  see  the  papers  as  soon,  which  will  give  you  information  of 
all  the  President  has  done,  and  I  think  his  proclamation  and  his 
message  will  astonish  you.  They  are  very  extraordinary  papers 
and  remarkable  for  containing  a  great  deal  of  that  sort  of  truth 
which  has  become  very  scarce.  You  will  see,  too,  the  bill  of 
Mr.  Clay,  as  it  passed.  I  can  not  for  my  soul  tell  whether  it 
does  or  does  not  give  up  the  principle  of  protection;  and  it  seems 
to  me  that  it  does  not.  But  will  this  tranquillize  the  country? 
No  doubt  till  another  Presidential  election.  I  think  that  the 
present  order  of  march  is  that  Calhoun  is  to  ride  behind  Clay. 
He  is  so  false,  however,  and  so  eager  that  he  will  come  out  for 
himself  if  anybody  asks  him.  And  I  think  Clay  had  better  look 
to  his  hostages.  But  is  it  not  very  strange  to  think  of  Webster 
and  Jackson?  It  has  been  hinted,  and  I  think  not  improbable, 
that  Webster  will  be  chief  justice.  The  great  debate  between 
him  and  Calhoun  on  sovereignty.  Constitution,  etc.,  has  not 
been  printed  yet.  Everybody  but  Duff  Green  says  that  Cal- 
houn comes  off  but  second  best.  The  election  of  Duff  Green 
as  printed  to  the  Senate  is  the  most  conclusive  proof  of  a  bargain 
between  Calhoun  and  Clay  that  could  be  given.  A  wretch  so 
odious  could  only  have  received  a  majority  of  votes  by  contract. 

Benjamin  Watkins  Leigh,  the  delegate  from  Virginia  to  their 
high  mightinesses,  Hayne  and  Hamilton,  left  town  last  Satur- 
day. I  saw  something  of  him.  He  is  a  very  amiable  man;  not 
ambitious  nor  brilliant  in  conversation  and  what  would  endear 
him  to  me  is  that  he  is  an  original;  one  of  those  old  fellows  that 
seem  instinctively  to  get  upon  the  weaker  side.  Yet  what  is 
this  but  honesty  of  purpose,  which  prevents  them  from  adopt- 
ing opinions  according  to  policy?  With  all  this,  however,  I 
think  Mr.  Leigh  looked  on  us  Union  men  as  no  great  politicians; 
in  one  word  as  men  who  can  not  be  conservative  without  being 
federal.  Now  \'irginia  can  make  sure  of  the  utile  dulci.  Mr. 
Rives  votes  for  the  enforcing  bill  and  makes  an  excellent  speech; 
in  fact,  one  of  the  best  if  not  the  very  best  which  the  grand  de- 
bate has  called  out,  wherein,  without  cutting  Jefferson,  he  fin- 
ishes Col.  Calhoun.  Leigh,  I  believe,  could  do  that  too.  He 
evidently  did  not  approve  of  poor  Tyler's  abortive  attempt  to 
sustain  Calhoun's  doctrine,  but  I  could  not  ascertain  the  minute 
shades  by  which  his  opinions  were  separated  from  the  heretics 


1 22  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

on  the  side  of  consolidation  and  the  heretics  on  the  side  of 
State's  rights.  Leigh  left  us  with  a  heavy  heart.  He  thought 
the  devil  was  coming.  He  was  afraid  McDuffie  would  balk  all 
his  plans  for  keeping  peace.  But  he  did  not  then  anticipate 
the  new  turn  which  affairs  have  taken  at  Washington. 

Several  of  my  nullifying  acquaintances  and  quondam  friends 
have  asked  me  if  I  was  not  delighted?  I  tell  them  and  tell  them 
sincerely  that  though  I  am  glad  the  evil  day  is  put  off,  I  am  not 
sensible  of  any  great  happiness  in  thinking  that  instead  of  hap- 
pening to  me  it  is  reserved  to  my  children,  and  a  devilish  evil 
day  it  will  be. 

i  sent  off  your  letter  to  your  mother  yesterday  by  an  express. 
I  have  not  seen  the  boy  yet  nor  do  I  know  of  his  return,  but  he 
will  no  doubt  bring  a  letter  to  be  sent  to  the  postoffice  for  you. 
They  are  in  the  country  though.  I  saw  your  sister  in  town  a 
month  ago. 

Our  races  have  been  dull.  Richardson  has  beat  the  whole 
world.  Drove  Johnson  back  discomfited  to  Virginia  and  broke 
Singleton  down  by  distancing  his  best  horse.  In  any  circum- 
stances I  would  not  have  advised  you  to  return;  now  there  is 
no  cause.     Adieu. 

Yours  faithfully, 

The  following  letter  will  be  of  interest  if  only  for  its  mention 
of  a  possible  "Southern  Confederacy." 

TO    WILLIAM    ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  15  April,  1833. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

*  *  *  What  have  you  been  doing  this  great  while?  On 
the  plantation  I  suppose.  Do  you  hear  much  from  the  revolu- 
tioners  lately?  I  believe  they  intend  to  open  for  a  Southern 
Confederacy  soon.  Your  quondam  townsman  is  certainly  point- 
ing that  way  in  the  Mercury  and  if  it  meets  with  favor  I  think 
the  chiefs  will  support  it.  But  they  will  not  commit  themselves 
just  now.  The  people,  I  fain  think,  are  settling  down  to  a  more 
composed  and  moderate  tone.  They  are  not  so  much  inflamed 
about  politics,  it  seems  to  me,  and  more  inclined  to  mind  their 
own  business.  These  are  good  symptoms  so  far;  they  may  be 
delusive  however.  It  is  your  misfortune  to  be  among  the  most 
excited  people  in  the  State,  and  I  fear  they  will  not  cool  till  after 
the  thing  is  abandoned  by  their  leaders,  which  it  will  be,  as  soon 
as  they  are  thrown  upon  the  resources  of  the  doughty  islanders 
and  the  warlike  pinewoodsmen.  We  who  have  got  the  chivalry 
against  us  must  carefully  cultivate  the  good  will  of  our  neighbors. 
Adieu. 


James  Louis  Petigru  123 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Washington,  July  15,  1833. 
My  dear  I.egare: 

You  are  surprised  to  see  the  date  of  this  letter,  or  ought  to  be, 
for  when  one  has  lived  the  better  part  of  his  life  at  home  nobody 
expects  him  xo  ramble  abroad.  But  I  have  been  very  sick, 
growing  weaker  and  losing  ground,  until  at  last,  in  making  a  very 
vehement  speech  for  Dr.  Schmidt,*  about  that  old  scandal  of 
the  base  blood  of  his  wife,  in  an  action  against  Dr.  Le  Seigneur, 
I  fairly  broke  down,  and  by  a  little  fever  and  great  deal  of  pain, 
hemorrhoids,  inflammation  of  the  bladder,  etc.,  was  kept  within 
doors  a  fortnight.  During  that  time  poor  "Brutus"  [R.  J. 
Turnbull]  died  and  the  benevolent  public  were  rather  disap- 
pointed that  there  was  one  funeral  only,  for  it  was  such  an  open- 
ing for  a  coincidence  that  they  could  hardly  reconcile  themselves 
to  the  prosaic  matter  of  fact  when  I  got  well.  All  my  friends 
insisted  so  much  on  my  travelling  as  soon  as  I  was  able  that  I 
yielded  to  their  persuasions  and  left  home  on  the  6th  in  one  of 
the  packets  to  idle  away  the  summer  at  the  North.  Alfred 
Huger  and  I  landed  at  Old  Point  Comfort.  He  wished  to  see 
Ben  Huger  and  I  took  this  route  to  see  Charles  Alfred,  who  is 
worse  ofl^than  I  am,  for  he  is  sick  and  hypped  or  hipt,  whichever 
it  should  be,  and  I  am  not.  He  damns  the  Nullifiers  more  than 
any  man  I  know.  He  quit  their  party  after  their  success,  to 
which  he  had  himself  greatly  contributed,  was  settled,  and  has, 
in  fact,  a  great  deal  to  regret.  He  is  gone  forward  to  Phila- 
delphia. I  came  here  on  the  12th  and  go  off  this  morning. 
Yesterday  I  waited  on  the  President;  was  introduced  by  Mr. 
St.  Clair  Clarke.  The  old  gentleman  looked  better  than  I  ex- 
pected; gave  me  a  very  gracious  reception;  inquired  about  Poin- 
sett and  Drayton,  and  regretted  I  was  going  to  stay  so  short  a 
time.  I  presume  you  know  Col.  Drayton  is  going  to  expatriate 
himself.  He  leaves  Charleston  in  this  month  "for  good,"  as 
we  say,  and  will  settle  in  Philadelphia.  He  told  me  Hamilton 
had  written  him  a  very  friendly  letter.  What  do  you  call  that? 
After  driving  his  first  friend  and  patron  into  exile,  to  write  him 
a  letter  full  of  sentiment  on  the  subject  of  his  change  of  domicile. 
The  last  thing  I  see  of  him  (Hamilton)  is  that  he  is  to  deliver  a 
eulogy  on  the  character  of  Turnbull. 

I  can  tell  you  nothing  about  the  coming  election.  Pinckney 
is  the  candidate.  Whether  he  is  the  free  choice  of  the  Jacobins 
is  sometimes  doubted,  and  it  is  whispered  that  his  friends 
crammed  him  on  the  party.  But  he  will  no  doubt  be  the  regu- 
lar candidate.  There  is  only  one  way  to  defeat  them,  that  is 
by  dividing  the  Nullifiers;  but  I  fear  we  have  not  management 
to  do  it.     The  thing  to  be  effected  requires  only  to  get  a  half 

*S>ttpost,  p.  125. 


124  J-iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

dozen  of  them  to  nominate  old  Warren,  who  would  jump  at  it, 
but  I  am  afraid  it  can't  be  done.  In  the  district  now  repre- 
sented by  New  Rolls,  Tom  Williams  and  Clowney  are  in  the 
field  and  we  have  great  hope  of  Williams's  success.  In  Pen- 
dleton Gisberne  runs  against  Davis,  with  doubtful  hopes.  Pres- 
ton, strange  to  say,  is  so  squeamish  he  will  not  have  Felder's 
seat.  Is  not  this  a  commentary  on  life.''  The  very  thing  he 
has  been  after  all  his  life  is  now  thrown  in  his  way  without  any 
trouble  and  he  turns  away  from  it.  I  had  a  talk  with  him  at 
Columbia  in  May.  I'm  afraid  the  secret  is  in  his  deranged 
finances,  but  it  may  be  mere  caprice,  though  from  his  conversa- 
tion I  did  not  think  so. 

Martin  stayed  with  me  when  he  held  the  court  in  Charleston. 
I  read  your  letter  of  5th  March  to  him,  with  which  he  was  quite 
entertained  and  showed  little  sympathy  for  his  party,  but  com- 
plained that  you  did  not  write  to  him  and  made  me  promise  that 
I  would  tell  you  so.  Martin's  adhesion  to  the  Nullifiers  (and 
it  was  no  more)  is  one  of  the  unaccountable  things  that  make 
me  regard  the  republic  with  despair.  By  the  way  I  must  tell 
you  that  I  have  heard  since  I  came  here  that  you  have  uttered 
such  sentiments,  I  mean  doubts  of  the  success  of  the  Nullifiers, 
in  Belgium  and  that  our  great  men  here  don't  like  it.  I  believe 
they,  one  and  all,  undervalue  the  danger,  and  that  we  (who 
think  the  Constitution  has  but  an  indifferent  chance  for  length 
of  days)  are  the  only  persons  who  see  the  truth;  but  as  a  diplomat 
you  ought  to  say  very  frequently  much  less  than  you  think. 
Your  letters  are  positively  the  greatest  treat  to  me  that  comes 
from  any  quarter  and  in  our  little  set  they  are  read  with  a  most 
lively  attention  more  than  once.  Great  heavens,  I  wish  you 
had  had  the  reply  to  Calhoun.  The  turn  you  have  given  to  his 
example  from  Jewish  history  is  infinitely  beyond  anything  he 
got.  If  Webster  had  called  him  Jeroboam  it  would  have  been 
worth  more  than  his  whole  speech.  Yet  I  do  not  think  it  ad- 
visable for  you  to  come  out  in  a  review  of  the  debate  under  your 
own  name.  I  think  in  South  Carolina  it  could  do  no  good. 
The  majority  of  our  folks  are  such  citizens  as  Rome  had  in  her 
worst  days.  No  republic  ever  had  worse  as  far  as  their  duty 
to  the  United  States  is  concerned.  Here  is  one  of  the  anomalies 
produced  by  our  strange  system:  As  citizens  of  the  United 
States  they  are  traitors,  but  as  citizens  of  the  State  they  are  true 
men.  In  his  immortal  satire,  "Absolom  vs.  Achitophel,"  Dry- 
den  says  of  Sir  William  Jones,  he 

"Could  statutes  draw 
To  mean  rebellions;  make  treason  law." 

But  law  and  treason  are  inseparably  connected  by  our  Consti- 
tution as  it  seems  and  the  public  spirit  of  the  citizen  is  as  fatal 


James  Louis  Petigru  125 

as  his  corruption.  In  South  Carolina  nothing  seems  to  be  hoped 
for  from  reason,  hut  Georgia  and  V^irginia  are  the  important 
points  to  be  guarded  now.  It  is  clear  that  our  Nullifiers  mean 
to  pick  a  quarrel  with  the  North  about  negroes.  It  will  take 
some  time  and  many  things  may  turn  up  in  the  meanwhile  that 
we  can't  foresee  either  to  favor  or  to  destroy  their  hopes.  But 
Nullification  has  done  its  work;  it  has  prepared  the  minds  of 
men  for  a  separation  of  the  States,  and  when  the  question  is 
mooted  again  it  will  be  distinctly  union  or  disunion.  I  regret 
I  did  not  see  your  mother  and  sister  before  I  left  Charleston.  I 
called  but  did  not  find  them  at  home.     *     *     * 

Henry  Cruger  is  married  to  Miss  Douglas.  It  was  so  cun- 
ningly arranged  that  people  assembled,  as  they  supposed,  to  a 
christening  of  her  sister's  child  and  were  surprised  into  a  par- 
ticipation of  the  plot.  I  send  you  some  newspapers,  chiefly 
about  Georgia,  which  will,  I  think,  amuse  you.  I  will  not  be 
home  till  October.     Adieu. 

Yours  faithfully, 

P.  S. — Thank  you  for  the  newspapers;  Gen.  Bergeaud  on 
property  and  the  essay  on  the  divisions  in  the  ranks  of  the  re- 
formers. Louis  Philippe  has  shown  more  vigor  than  was  ex- 
pected of  him  and  will  be  obliged  to  do  more  before  he  is  let 
alone.  The  other  newspapers  which  you  mention  did  not  come 
to  hand.     I  send  you  also  the  Journal  ot  the  convention. 

This  case  of  Schmidt  against  Le  Seigneur  referred  to  in  this 
letter  is  often  referred  to  as  an  illustration  of  Mr.  Petigru's 
remarkable  skill  in  cross-examination:  John  Schmidt  married 
Mile.  De  Rosignol,  a  lady  born  at  Martinique.  Their  son  was  edu- 
cated at  the  North  as  a  physician;  on  his  return  to  Charleston  he 
was  unable  to  practice  his  profession  because  he  was  denied  ad- 
mission into  the  medical  society  on  the  ground  that  he  was  guilty 
of  the  unpardonable  sin  ot  having  negro  blood  in  his  veins.  John 
Schmidt,  who  was  a  Union  man,  of  course  had  command  of  Mr. 
Petigru's  services.  A  suit  for  slander  was  immediately  insti- 
tuted. Le  Seigneur  testified  most  positively  that  he  knew  the 
two  mesdemoiselles  De  Rosignol  at  Martinique;  they  were  very 
handsome  and  all  the  young  men  knew  that  they  were  colored. 
His  testimony  was  most  positive.  Mr.  Petigru  produced  some 
papers;  Le  Seigneur  acknowledged  the  writing  to  be  his;  they 
were  verses  in  French;  he  then  with  the  permission  of  the  court 
proceeded  to  translate  them  with  the  greatest  seriousness,  much 
to  the  amusement  of  the  audience.     He  then  asked  Le  Seigneur 


126  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

was  it  "the  habit  in  Martinique  for  young  gentlemen  to  write 
ditties  to  mulatto  girls?"  to  which  he  replied,  "Yes, sir;  just  the 
same  as  they  do  everywhere  else."  Another  witness,  a  fellow- 
countryman,  was  called  on  to  give  evidence  in  the  case  and  con- 
firm the  charge.  His  belief  was  fixed,  but  it  was  founded  on 
rumors,  not  on  personal  knowledge.  The  witness  was  none  the 
less  positive  on  that  account.  He  had  no  doubt  on  the  subject. 
Even  in  the  church  frequented  by  the  lady  she  was  said  to  be 
of  doubtful  blood,  and  was  not  permitted  to  sit  in  pews  occupied 
by  whites,  but  was  restricted  to  the  space  set  apart  for  other 
classes.  How  could  a  jury  doubt  after  that?  But,  before  the 
inference  is  accepted,  the  fact,  as  asserted  by  the  witness,  must 
be  proved  to  be  true.  Was  he  stating  what  he  knew?  Had  he 
repeated  a  report,  not  described  a  scene  he  had  witnessed?  It 
was  soon  determined  by  the  counsel  when  cross-examination 
began.  Mr.  Petigru  stood  for  a  moment  with  a  serious  air,  and 
his  left  hand  stroking  his  chin,  when  suddenly  he  said  to  the  wit- 
ness: "Mr.  Chupein,  have  you  ever  been  at  church?"  The 
witness  was  astonished  and  uneasy.  "Sir,"  he  replied,  "that 
is  not  a  proper  question."  But  it  was  urged  that  he  should 
answer  and  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  bench.  The  judge  very 
blandly  but  decidedly  determined  that  the  question  was  a  proper 
one  and  must  be  answered.  The  witness  resisted  still.  He 
threw  himself  on  the  judge's  favorable  consideration.  He  said 
he  was  in  a  serious  dilemma,  for  if  he  replied  to  the  question  that 
he  had  never  been  at  church  he  would  become  odious  in  the  eyes 
of  his  countrymen  as  an  atheist  and  despiser  of  religious  rites. 
"  But  if,"  he  replied,  "  I  answer  that  I  have  been  at  church,  then, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  shall  tell  one  leetle  dam  lie."  His  examiner 
assured  him  that  no  further  reply  was  necessary. 

Mr.  Petigru  also  refers  in  this  letter  to  Col.  Drayton  being 
"about  to  expatriate  himself." 

At  the  dinner  on  the  30th  of  May,  1830,  previously  referred 
to.  Colonel  Drayton  was  violently  assailed  by  McDuffie.  At 
that  time  the  lines  between  the  parties  had  not  been  distinctly 
drawn,  and  Colonel  Drayton,  not  proposing  to  be  dictated  to, 
joined  the  Union  camp.  He  had  succeeded  J.  R.  Poinsett  as 
member  of  Congress  in  1825,  and  he  knew  that  he  could  not  be 
nominated  at  the  ensuing  election.  He  considered  this  injustice 
and  ingratitude  and  decided  to  go  among  more  congenial  people, 


James  Louis  Petigru  127 

and  moved  to  Philadelphia,  much  to  the  advantage  of  his  family 
and  his  descendants. 

It  will  be  noted  that  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Legare  the  year  before 
Mr.  Petigru  said:  "If  a  revolution  is  effected  I  am  doubtful 
of  my  course.  Should  it  come  to  an  affair  of  force  in  the  State, 
I  must  take  my  share;  and  if  proscription  and  penal  laws  are 
enforced,  I  must  emigrate.  But  in  fact  if  the  Union  is  severed 
my  mind  is  made  up  to  quit  the  negro  country.  But  where  to 
go?     Aye,  there  is  the  rub." 

In  after  days  he  often  regretted  that  he  had  not  at  that  time 
gone  somewhere  north  of  the  Potomac.  But  he  said,  "I  would 
not  part  from  my  sisters,  my  friends,  and  all  who  depend  upon 
me. 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  November  20,  1833. 
My  dear  Legare: 

*  *  *  Calhoun  is  incessantly  agitating.  He  lectures  now 
on  the  necessity  of  a  test  oath.  It  is  believed  that  the  legisla- 
ture will  pass  a  law  imposing  one.  It  is  hard  to  say  what  we 
are  to  do.  If  they  do  not  infringe  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States  we  have  no  remedy.  And  if  they  do  it  is  ques- 
tionable whether  we  have  any.  How  is  such  an  act  to  be  re- 
sisted.^ It  is  disfranchisement,  but  in  what  way  can  the  mi- 
nority help  themselves  against  two-thirds.''  I  wish  that  I  could 
see  some  way  better  than  waiting  for  the  ebb  of  popular  infatua- 
tion; but  I  really  see  none.  There  is  a  hope  in  the  compunctious 
feeling  of  the  better  part  of  the  Nullifiers.  Isaac  Holmes,  for 
instance,  is  resolutely  against  it;  but  he  is  almost  the  only  man, 
now  poor  Martin  is  gone,  that  has  intrepidity  to  resist,  even  if 
they  have  sense  to  see,  the  enormity  of  the  demagogues.  The 
popularity  of  Martin  gave  him  more  authority  than  any  other 
moderate  man,  and  I  fear  that  in  this,  as  in  so  many  instances 
already,  men  will  profess  their  respect  for  liberty  and  freedom 
of  opinion  till  they  have  done  everything  they  can  to  destroy 
them. 

I  have  received  your  letters  of  9th  and  10th  September,  and 
many  newspapers.  You  complain  of  hearing  seldom  from  me. 
Considering  how  unequal  the  exchange  is,  you  may  complain 
with  justice.  But  consider,  my  dear  soul,  that  it  is  not  every 
one  that,  like  you,  can  learn  German  in  idle  hours,  and  write 
letters  like  Pliny,  for  the  entertainment  of  his  friends.  The 
high  value  I  place  on  all  you  write  induces  me  to  send  you  letters 
in  the  hope  ot  answers,  but  the  want  of  noveltv  and  the  want 


128  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  interest  in  the  things  that  I  have  to  say  make  me  often  pro- 
crastinate the  time  of  writing. 

You  are  right  in  ascribing  to  our  people  a  ridiculous  self-con- 
ceit that  makes  them,  like  Sir  Balaam,  ascribe  all  to  their  own 
wit  and  make  no  allowance  for  the  great  odds  in  their  favor. 
It  would  be  more  to  the  purpose  if  we  were  to  wonder  that  there 
is  so  little  done,  instead  of  so  much  in  the  progress  of  improve- 
ment. The  Union  party,  for  the  present,  have  the  ascendancy 
in  Georgia.  Whether  they  will  keep  it  is  another  affair.  As 
I  apprehend  the  Troup  men  have  very  generally  come  out  Nulli- 
fiers.  But  the  Clark  party,  with  such  portion  of  the  Troup  as 
would  not  swallow  the  test,  are  enough  at  present  to  control 
the  State  and  I  see  that  they  begin  to  settle  down  upon  the  same 
nomenclature  as  in  South  Carolina,  and  talk  of  discarding  the 
old  names.  It  is  very  surprising  that  in  this  state  of  things  it 
seems  quite  doubtful  whether  Troup  himself  is  a  Troup  man. 
He  has  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate.  The  step  at  this  junc- 
ture, while  the  Union  men  are  in  the  ascendant  in  the  legislature, 
is  justly  regarded  by  the  NuUifiers  as  a  cold  response,  indeed, 
to  their  thousand  invocations  of  the  "Gallant  Troup."  I  am 
very  much  gratified  to  learn  that  Cumming  is  likely  to  be  his 
successor.  I  hope  it  is  so.  But  is  it  to  be  supposed  that  in  the 
pitiful  combinations  of  such  parties  as  Clark  men  and  Troup 
men  and  Cherokeeland  men  such  a  person  as  Cumming  can  be 
appreciated.''  Whether  he  goes  to  the  Senate  or  not  if  even  the 
demagogues  succeed  in  bringing  on  a  dissolution  of  the  Union 
he,  and  not  Calhoun  nor  Hamilton,  will  have  the  first  part  in 
the  South. 

There  is  some  disturbance  among  the  NuUifiers  in  relation 
to  Cooper.  You  know  there  has  been  a  great  revival.  Robert 
Barnwell,  Barnwell  Smith,  Stephen  Elliott,  Wm.  Grayson, 
Pinckney  and  many  more  than  I  can  name  are  converts.  They 
wish  to  purify  their  party  of  poor  old  Cooper.  Another  set  are 
bent  on  maintaining  him.  Barnwell  Smith  broke  ground  on  the 
circus  on  Monday  night.  It  was  a  meeting  of  the  party  pre- 
paratory to  the  great  meeting  next  Friday,  when  "his  body  is 
to  come  mourned  by  Mark  Anthony" — and  Smith  announced 
the  death  of  poor  Martin  and,  after  a  warm  eulogium  on  his 
merits,  told  them  that  if  they  venerated  his  memory  they  would 
respect  his  last  words,  and  that  only  a  few  days  before  his  end 
they  had  conversed  fully  and  freely  about  the  necessity  of  remov- 
ing Cooper,  and  that  he  (M.)  had  assured  him  that  he  would  go 
to  Columbia  and  move  the  trustees  to  do  so.  And  upon  this 
S.  called  on  them  to  wipe  off  the  aspersion  from  the  party  and 
from  the  State  of  being  governed  by  infidel  principles.  There 
was  little  said  there,  and  people  seemed  taken  by  surprise;  yet 
I  am  greatly  mistaken  if  it  does  not  bring  the  Evening  Post  and 
Mercury  into  collision.     If  anything  can  break  down  the  disci- 


» 


James  Louis  Petigru  129 

pline  of  the  party  it  is  the  opposition  between  the  Revival  and 
the  Atheist  party.  If  the  latter  sacrifice  Cooper  they  may  do 
with  the  State  as  they  please,  for  very  few  of  our  religionists 
have  any  charity  for  those  who  are  blind  to  the  light  of  Calhoun's 
and  McDuffie's  revelations. 

The  Turnbull  monument  is  to  be  laid  the  day  after  to-morrow, 
the  same  day  the  oration  over  his  dead  body  is  to  be  delivered. 
Great  preparations  are  making.  Calhoun  is  to  be  received  by 
all  the  volunteer  companies,  etc.  I  am  sick  and  weary  of  all 
this  flummery;  I  long  for  a  little  common  sense.  I  must  get  me 
a  taste  for  money.  Avarice  is  the  most  innocent  kind  of  excite- 
ment for  a  man  who  has  reached  "the  middle  ages." 


130  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XVII 

March-August,  1834 

Argument  Against  the  Test  Oath;   Political   Situation 

to  william  drayton 

Charleston,  26  March,  1834. 
My  dear  Sir: 

*  *  *  South  CaroHna  is  under  an  evil  star — that  in  this 
late  age  men  should  have  the  obliquity  of  mind  to  fall  upon  the 
very  errors  of  the  worst  times  is  very  extraordinary — and  besides 
it  is  excessively  disgraceful.  The  consequences  that  might  have 
been  foreseen  have  ensued.  The  mountaineers  who  are  gen- 
erally on  our  side,  received  the  test  oath  and  Military  Bill  with 
a  yell  of  passion.  Here  in  the  city  people  are  so  worn  out  and 
tired  that  the  blow  excited  very  little  feeling.  But  the  moun- 
taineers have  taken  the  thing  as  violently  as  Nullification  was 
taken.  In  fact  the  disorderly  principles  that  Hamilton  and 
McDuffie  have  preached  are  about  to  react.  The  Union  men 
are  anxious  to  show  that  they  have  no  undue  reverence  for  the 
law  and  order.  It  is  rather  surprising  that  the  Nullifiers  are 
not  on  the  alert — they  seem  to  be  perfectly  supine.  In  the  mean- 
time the  whole  mountain  region  is  in  a  flame.  A  convention 
met  at  Greenville  last  Monday.  We  were  obliged  to  send  dele- 
gates, but  you  may  depend  on  it  the  most  violent  counsels  will 
prevail,  and  unless  the  Court  of  Appeals  declare  the  law  uncon- 
stitutional or  Hayne  gives  way,  there  will  be  a  border  war. 
The  objections  to  this  act  are  so  strong  that  I  should  have  the 
highest  expectations  of  success,  in  the  case  which  we  have  made, 
and  which  comes  on  next  Monday,  but  unfortunately  Judge 
O'Neill  has  been  called  home  to  his  dying  children  and  we  have 
only  Johnson  and  Harper — and  those  nullifiers  have  deceived 
me  so  often  that  I  have  no  trust  in  any  of  them  when  a  party 
question  is  at  issue.  Do  you  recollect  that  we  spoke  of  the 
opportunities  of  female  education  in  Philadelphia?  Will  you 
tell  me  what  you  think  of  the  schools  there  and  which  of  them 
you  think  the  best— and  do  you  give  them  any  preference  to 
the  New  York  schools  .''* 

Yours  truly, 

"I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I  will  support  and  maintain  to  the 


*Original  letter  in  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 


James  Louis  Petigru  131 

utmost  of  my  ability  the  laws  and  Constitution  of  this  State 
and  of  the  United  States,  and  that  I  will  well  and  truly  obey, 
execute  and  enforce  the  ordinance  to  nullify  certain  acts  of  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  purporting  to  be  laws  laying  duties 
and  imposts  upon  the  importation  of  foreign  commodities, 
passed  in  convention  of  the  State  at  Columbia  the  24th  day  of 
November,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1832,  and  all  such  acts  or 
act  of  the  legislature  as  may  be  passed  in  pursuance  thereof, 
according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  the  same." 

This  oath  may  be  looked  upon  with  derision  to-day,  but  at 
that  time  it  excited  bitter  discussion  and  complications  even 
after  the  ordinance  of  nullification  was  repealed.  To  Mr.  Peti- 
gru it  was  peculiarly  abhorrent  because  it  was  unconstitutional 
and  restricted  the  freedom  of  the  citizen. 

In  the  struggle  for  the  rights  of  the  citizen  he  boldly  attacked 
the  constitutionality  of  this  oath  in  the  courts. 

The  Argument  of  Mr.  Petigru  in  the  Case  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Crady  vs.  B.  F.  Hunt,  and  Mr.  Daniel  vs.  Mr.  Meekin 
IN  THE  Court  of  Appeals  of  South  Carolina,  at  Charles- 
ton ON  the  3  1st  Day  of  March,  1834. 

1st  Hill  South  Carolina  Reports 

A  case  that  has  excited  so  deeply  the  attention  of  the  com- 
munity will  no  doubt  receive  the  most  serious  attention  of  the 
court.  To  say  that  this  is  a  constitutional  question  is  enough 
to  make  it  understood  that  the  subject  is  one  of  the  highest 
concern  and  interest;  for  a  question  of  constitutional  law  exceeds 
in  importance  the  discussion  of  a  private  right,  as  much  as  a 
general  rule  is  of  more  importance  than  a  particular  decision. 
And  if  there  is  anything  of  which  we  may  be  justly  proud,  as 
an  improvement  in  the  science  of  government,  it  is  that  American 
innovation  by  which  the  judiciary  is  made  coordinate  with  the 
legislative  and  the  injured  are  authorized  to  appeal  from  the 
law  to  the  Constitution.  Nor  can  any  case  be  imagined  more 
worthy  of  the  exercise  of  this  high  and  solemn  duty  of  the  judi- 
ciary, than  this  in  which  the  decision  must  effect,  not  merely 
the  freedom  of  an  individual,  but  the  rights  of  many  thousands 
of  the  people  of  this  country  to  be  accounted  free;  in  which  not 
the  inheritance  of  a  few  acres  only,  but  the  birthright  and  por- 
tion of  every  man  who  does  not  subscribe  to  the  prevailing  creed, 
are  at  stake. 

The  parties  to  the  record  are  Mr.  McCrady  and  Col.  Hunt;  and 
the  office  about  which  the  dispute  arises,  is  one  of  minor  im- 
portance; an  office,  not  only  of  small  account  in  itself  but  in  the 


132  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

eyes  of  the  parties  perfectly  insignificant  in  comparison  with 
the  principles  which  are  involved.  Between  the  parties  to  the 
record  there  is,  in  fact,  no  dispute.  Col.  Hunt  consents  to 
make  the  question  for  the  sake  of  all  who  have  an  interest  in 
common  with  the  plaintiff;  and  Mr.  McCrady  pursues  his  right 
in  behalf  of  thousands  of  his  fellow-citizens,  for  the  purpose  of 
testing  the  validity  of  a  law  which  incapacitates  them  from 
office.  This  civil  incapacity  with  which  we  are  menaced,  ex- 
tends not  merely  to  affairs  in  the  militia,  but  to  all  places  of 
power  and  trust  under  the  authority  of  the  State;  and  not  to 
the  right  of  holding  office  merely,  but  to  every  constitutional 
and  civil  privilege.  For  by  the  Ordinance  of  1833  the  principle 
of  disfranchisement  is  adopted  in  the  broadest  terms  of  tyranny; 
and  though  the  disability  in  question  applies,  in  this  instance, 
to  military  office  only,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  extension 
of  the  principle  to  all  civil  rights  and  immunities  whatever. 

The  oath  which  Mr.  McCrady  is  required  to  take  is  in  the 
following  terms:  "I  swear  that  I  will  be  faithful,  and  true 
allegiance  bear  to  the  State  of  South  Carolina." 

And  he  refuses  to  take  it,  because  he  acknowledges  allegiance 
to  the  United  States  as  well  as  to  the  State  of  South  Carolina, 
and  the  authors  of  this  oath,  by  their  authoritative  construc- 
tion, have  declared  that  allegiance  to  the  State  is  and  shall  be 
equivalent  to  abjuration  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States. 
The  terms  of  the  oath  itself  may  not  suggest  the  objection. 
The  text  may  be  ambiguous,  but  the  commentary  removes  all 
doubt.  Behold  then  the  alternative  of  disfranchisement,  which 
is  submitted  to  the  citizen  to  subscribe  to  a  party  test,  or  to 
swallow  an  ambiguous  oath. 

Allegiance  is  derived  from  the  barbarous  Latin  word  ligeantia 
— it  is  peculiar  to  the  English  law,  and  there  we  must  look  for 
its  proper  signification.  Fortunately  we  are  at  no  loss  for  the 
most  ample  information  concerning  the  character  of  allegiance 
in  the  monarchy  which  is  its  native  soil.  In  Calvin's  case,  7 
Co.  1,  it  forms  the  subject  of  one  of  the  most  curious  and  elabor- 
ate arguments  among  the  judicial  discussions  of  that  period. 
It  is  called  the  bond  of  subjection  between  the  prince  and  his 
subject — the  tie  by  which  the  monarch  holds  his  vassal,  and  by 
which  he  draws  from  the  remotest  corner  to  which  he  can  re- 
treat. A  claim  which  none  but  the  royal  hand  can  hold,  and 
which  the  subject  can  never  shake  off.  It  is  the  same  in  effect 
with  liege  homage,  an  abject  ceremony  which  furnishes  a  strik- 
ing illustration  of  the  feudal  origin  of  allegiance,  and  the  pro- 
found subjection  which  it  implies:  "For  when  the  tenant  shall 
make  homage  to  his  lord,  he  shall  be  ungirt  and  his  head  uncov- 
ered, and  his  lord  shall  sit,  and  the  tenant  shall  kneel  before  him 
on  both  his  knees,  and  hold  his  hands  jointly  together  between 
the  hands  of  his  lord  and  shall  say  thus: — 'I  become  your  man 


James  Louis  Petigru  133 

from  this  day  forward  of  life  and  limb,  and  of  earthly  worship, 
and  unto  you  shall  be  true  and  faithful.'  And  then  the  lord  so 
sitting  shall  kiss  him."  In  simple  homage  there  is  a  reserva- 
tion; as  thus: — "Saving  the  faith  I  owe  our  sovereign  lord,  the 
king."  But  in  liege  homage,  which  differs  only  in  this,  that  it 
is  performed  to  none  but  the  sovereign,  there  is  no  such  saving 
(Co.  Lit.,  64,  B.-l,  H.  H.  65).  From  Calvin's  case  and  the  com- 
mon law  authorities,  we  learn  that  the  qualities  of  allegiance  are, 
that  it  is  natural,  universal  and  perpetual,  and  due  exclusively 
to  the  king  in  natural  person.  So  intimately  is  the  original  idea 
of  allegiance  connected  with  royalty,  that  it  is  said  by  Lord  Coke 
to  belong  to  the  king,  as  an  attribute  proprium  quarto  modo — 
that  is  to  the  king  and  to  the  king  always,  to  every  king,  and 
none  but  the  king;  omni  solo  semper.     7  Co.  12  A. 

_  In  strict  propriety  of  language,  allegiance  to  the  State,  like 
citizen-king,  is  nothing  more  than  misnomer.  No  phrase  can 
be  less  apt  to  express  the  duty  of  a  citizen,  whose  obedience  be- 
longs to  the  law,  than  a  word  which  implies  most  strongly  and 
emphatically  reverence  to  the  person  of  the  sovereign.  We  can 
easily  see  why  our  ancestors  excluded  from  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  as  well  as  from  that  of  South  Carolina,  a  word 
connected  with  so  many  heterogeneous  associations  as  allegiance. 
The  wonder  is  that  the  noble  example  of  plain  dealing  and  sim- 
plicity which  they  have  left  us  should  be  lost  on  their  successors; 
and  that  we  should  see  at  the  present  day  such  an  anxiety  on 
the  part  of  some  people  to  put  on  the  cast-off  finery  of  the  royal 
livery. 

There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  when  terms,  which  express 
the  relation  between  king  and  subject,  are  adopted  into  laws  of 
a  republic,  they  must  be  received  in  a  new  sense,  with  a  modifi- 
cation of  meaning  corresponding  to  the  altered  character  of  the 
government;  and  so,  in  fact,  we  find  the  term  allegiance  used 
in  some  of  the  States.  Neither  do  we  deny  that  the  State  may 
require  an  oath  of  allegiance  from  the  citizens.  At  least  there 
is  as  much  propriety  in  speaking  of  allegiance  to  the  State  as 
of  allegiance  to  the  United  States.  No  one  supposes  that  the 
government  of  the  United  States  is  supreme  beyond  the  sphere 
plainly  defined  by  the  Constitution;  neither  does  any  one  deny 
that  the  State  is  supreme  within  its  proper  sphere  of  action. 
As  to  the  boundaries  of  power  between  the  federal  authorities 
and  the  State  authorities,  men  have  disputed  from  the  dawn  of 
the  Constitution  to  the  present  day.  .'\nd  from  the  assumption 
of  State  debts  in  1790  to  the  last  debate  on  the  incorporation 
of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States,  the  acts  of  the  general  govern- 
ment have  been  assailed,  and  defended  on  the  same  grounds; 
and  truth  requires  us  to  add  that  South  Carolina  has  been  on 
every  side  of  the  question.  But  that  the  States,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Mr.  Madison,  retain  a  residuary  and  inviolable  sover- 


134  ^^/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

eignty  over  all  objects  not  embraced  within  the  powers  of  the 
federal  government,  has  never  been  denied,  amidst  all  the 
changes  and  contentions  of  party, — at  least  not  by  any  men,  or 
set  of  men  considerable  enough  to  obtain  for  their  opinions  any 
general  attention. 

If  the  oath  in  question,  therefore,  stood  alone,  or  upon  the 
words  of  a  military  bill  only,  we  should,  without  hesitation  con- 
strue the  obligation  which  it  imposes,  as  an  oath  of  fidelity  to 
the  State,  commensurate  with  its  reserved  sovereignty  and 
consistent  with  an  equal  fidelity  to  the  United  States  within 
the  sphere  of  the  Constitution.  But  if  the  State  authorities 
have  set  their  own  definition  on  this  term  "allegiance"  we  are 
not  at  liberty  in  the  oath  under  consideration  to  construe  it  any 
other  way;  and  no  honest  man  can  take  the  oath  in  any  other 
sense  than  that  which  it  would  bear  if  this  word  were  omitted, 
and  the  corresponding  terms  of  the  definition  inserted  in  its 
place.  Now  the  fact  is  that  the  authors  of  this  measure  have 
set  a  definition  on  the  word  "allegiance"  which  makes  it,  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  a  term  of  art,  to  express  certain  contro- 
verted opinions  concerning  the  nature  of  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  and  renders  the  oath  in  question  a  complete 
criterion  of  party — in  one  word,  a  test  oath.  There  is,  I  appre- 
hend, a  mistake  that  some  people  are  liable  to  fall  into  in  speak- 
ing on  the  subject,  by  confounding  test  oaths  with  religious 
persecution.  For  many  people  seem  to  imagine  that  the  new 
oath  is  not  a  test  oath,  because  it  does  not  interfere  with  religi- 
ous liberty.  But  in  fact  all  test  oaths  are  political,  not  religious, 
in  their  objects;  and  if  the  test  acts  do  sometimes  put  the  prin- 
ciple of  exclusion  on  religious  opinions  it  is  not  against  such 
opinions,  as  offensive  to  Heaven,  but  as  dangerous  to  the  State, 
that  they  are  directed.  In  the  age  of  persecution  a  sincere  but 
misguided  zeal  for  the  honor  of  God,  led  to  the  punishment  of 
the  heretic,  whether  he  outwardly  conformed  or  openly  dis- 
sented. 

But  test  oaths  were  the  growth  of  a  later  age;  they  were  not 
exacted  pro  salute  animi — for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  people  in 
office;  but  had  their  rise,  as  well  as  whatever  justification  was 
attempted  of  them,  in  considerations  of  public  safety.  The 
Union  of  Church  and  State,  and  the  king's  supremacy,  suffi- 
ciently account  for  the  connection,  real  or  supposed,  between 
the  security  of  the  State  and  the  exclusion  from  office  of  those 
whose  religious  opinions  were  at  variance  with  the  majority. 
The  Dissenter  and  the  Catholic  were  against  the  Church,  and 
the  Church  was  part  of  the  State.  It  was  in  vain  that  they 
were  willing  to  give  any  and  every  assurance  of  their  fidelity  to 
the  State,  as  distinguished  from  the  Church;  for  their  interests 
were  inseparably  connected,  and  the  distinction  could  not  be 
admitted.     In  like  manner  the  Union  party  are  willing  to  give 


Ja?nes  Louis  Petigru  135 

any  satisfaction  of  their  dcvoticm  to  the  State  within  its  Con- 
stitutional sphere;  l)ut  the  difficulty  hes  in  ackncjwledging  an 
absolute  supremacy;  in  subscribing  to  a  declaration  that  Gov- 
ernor Hayne  is  supreme  head  of  the  Church  upon  earth. 

In  Locke's  works  we  find  an  account  of  the  test  oath  ot  1775 
by  a  masterly  hand.     It  runs  thus: 

"I  do  declare  that  it  is  not  lawful,  under  any  pretense  what- 
ever, to  take  up  arms  against  the  king;  and  that  I  d(j  abhor  the 
traitorous  position  of  taking  up  arms  against  his  person,  or 
against  those  who  are  commissioned  by  him,  in  pursuance  of 
such  commission;  and  I  do  swear  that  I  will  not  at  any  time 
endeavor  the  alteration  of  the  government,  in  Church  or  State." 

This  oath  would  suit  the  present  times,  without  any  altera- 
tion besides  that  of  putting  State  for  king;  and  the  authors  of 
our  test  oath  only  repeat  what  the  courtiers  of  Charles  II  said 
before  them:  that  the  public  safety  requires  the  oath,  and  that 
no  one  should  complain  of  being  excluded  by  it;  because  no  one 
is  fit  to  be  trusted,  that  is  not  willing  to  swear  to  truths  so  plain, 
and  to  principles  so  clear.  Yet  the  verdict  of  posterity  has 
stamped  the  age  of  Charles  II  with  its  lasting  reprobation;  and 
those  who  upon  a  small  scale  are  now  making  a  similar  use  of 
power,  may  do  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  they  are  copying  an 
example  from  the  worst  of  men  and  the  worst  of  times. 

In  looking  over  the  ordinance  of  1833  we  find  that  allegiance 
to  the  State  is  expressly  declared  to  be  inconsistent  with  allegi- 
ance to  the  United  States.  The  obedience  due  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States  is  declared  to  be  a  subordinate  duty, 
subject  to  the  regulation  of  the  Legislature,  so  that  a  citizen 
may  actually  incur  punishment  as  a  criminal  tor  acting  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States;  and  to  cover  the 
whole  ample  provision  is  made,  by  an  unlimited  power  of  punish- 
ing offences  against  allegiance,  for  opening  those  detested 
sources  of  oppression,  the  laws  against  treason,  and  reenacting 
here  the  bloody  tragedies  of  Scroggs  and  Jeffries. 

It  is  not  wonderful  that  a  new  oath,  speaking  a  language  un- 
known to  our  Constitution  should  excite  enquiry.  Men  are  not 
to  be  blamed  for  asking  what  it  is  they  are  required  to  swear  to. 
But  where  shall  they  search  for  the  meaning  of  allegiance  as 
used  in  this  oath?  Not  in  the  common  law,  nor  in  the  Consti- 
tution, but  in  the  ordinance  of  1833;  and  there  they  will  find 
allegiance  explained  in  a  sense  which  renders  it  the  symbol  of 
a  party — a  sense  in  which  it  never  was  defined  before,  and  which 
nothing  but  the  necessity  of  having  a  conventional  term  to 
designate  certain  peculiar  views  of  the  Constitution,  could  ever 
have  suggested.  Allegiance  which  is  absolute  without  being 
perpetual,  is  a  perfect  anomaly.  Yet  the  ordinance,  while  it 
makes  allegiance  to  the  State  paramount  to  all  other  obliga- 
tions, confines  its  existence  to  actual  residence:  for  I  know  not 


1 36  -^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

what  else  can  be  made  of  the  words  "so  long  as  they  continue 
citizens  thereof,"  unless  they  mean  that  allegiance  begins  when- 
ever any  citizen  of  the  United  States  enters  Carolina  and  ends 
when  he  crosses  the  line.  And  what  can  be  made  of  those  words 
that  speak  of  "obedience  to  any  power  to  whom  a  control  over 
the  citizens  of  this  State  has  been  or  may  be  delegated,"  unless 
they  mean  that  the  laws  of  the  United  States  are  binding  until 
the  State  interferes  and  sets  them  aside.  In  one  word,  allegi- 
ance, as  used  in  the  ordinance,  is  only  another  word  for  the 
right  to  nullify,  and  that  such  is  the  real  intent  and  meaning 
of  it,  no  one  having  a  regard  for  his  reputation  out  of  his  own 
set  or  party,  should  venture  to  deny;  much  less  can  any  one 
who  values  his  character  take  this  oath  unless  his  mind  be 
clearly  satisfied  of  the  creed  which  it  is  intended  to  enforce. 

The  ordinance  having  thus  established  a  party  test  and  au- 
thorized the  legislature  to  carry  it  into  effect  by  suitable  oaths, 
the  next  legislature  passed  an  act  to  organize  the  militia  of  this 
State;  the  10th  section  of  which  provides  that  every  officer 
hereafter  elected,  before  entering  on  the  duty  of  his  office,  shall 
take  a  certain  oath;  and  in  order  to  determine  upon  the  validity 
of  that  oath  it  is  necessary  to  consider  the  subject  in  reference 
to  the  State  constitution  as  well  as  to  the  ordinance.  But  the 
constitution  has  fixed  the  oath  of  office  and  the  legislature  have 
no  right  under  the  constitution  to  legislate  on  the  subject. 
Their  authority  then  must  be  derived  from  the  ordinance  or 
the  oath  is  void.  The  supporters  of  the  bill  are  placed  in  this 
dilemma,  that  if  the  oath  is  passed  in  pursuance  of  the  ordinance, 
it  is  a  test  oath;  and  if  not  passed  in  pursuance  of  the  ordinance 
it  is  unconstitutional.  It  is  indifferent  to  us  which  alternative 
is  adopted,  for  either  way  the  oath  is  bad;  but  the  objection 
to  the  oath,  as  being  contrary  to  the  constitution,  is  palpable 
*****  If  the  oath  in  the  military  bill  is  not  a 
test  oath,  it  amounts  to  the  same  thing  as  the  oath  prescribed 
by  the  Constitution  to  protect  and  defend  the  constitution  of 
this  State  and  of  the  United  States,  and  it  is  just  as  far  from 
reason  to  call  it  the  oath  of  the  Constitution  as  the  oath  of  the 
ordinance. 

But  in  fact  this  oath  is  doubly  objectionable,  for  the  very 
cause  that  it  is  ambiguous.  Is  it  to  be  endured  that  a  man  is 
to  be  called  on  to  swear  to  an  ambiguous  declaration? 

Among  all  the  abuses  of  power,  a  certain  pre-eminence  is 
due  to  the  singular  wickedness  and  enormity  ot  the  wretch  who 
caused  the  laws  to  be  promulgated  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  pur- 
posely unintelligible.  And  if  there  was  no  other  objection 
against  the  oath  which  our  present  rulers  have  prescribed  to 
be  taken  by  honorable  men,  under  pain  of  disfranchisement, 
the  ambiguity  and  equivocation  which  lurk  in  its  meaning  are 
sufficient  to  entitle  it  to  the  condemnation  of  all  mankind. 


James  Louis  Petigru  137 

In  these  circumstances  the  duty  of  the  court  is  plain.  The 
free  and  generous  principles  of  the  law  which  the  court  is  sworn 
to  administer  favor  liberty.  The  warrant  which  deprives  the 
humblest  citizen  of  his  liberty  must  be  clear — much  less  can  it 
be  endured,  that  such  a  sweeping  disfranchisement  should  be 
sustained  by  a  doubtful  interpretation.  And  as  the  legisla- 
ture has  not  thought  fit  to  refer  to  the  ordinance,  the  court  will 
take  the  law  as  they  find  it,  and  if  it  does  not  conform  to  the 
Constitution  declare  it  null  and  void. 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  April  24,  1834. 
My  dear  Legare: 

We  have  had  our  argument  of  the  test  oath,  but  no  decision. 
The  convention  at  Greenville  took  place  on  the  24th  March. 
By  Mr.  Poinsett's  influence  moderate  resolutions  were  adopted, 
in  unison  with  the  course  we  had  adopted  here,  to  wait  for  the 
result  of  an  appeal  to  the  judiciary,  with  an  implication  strong, 
however,  that  if  redress  is  not  obtainable  in  that  quarter  they 
know  where  they  will  find  it.     Our  friend  Pepoon  ofl^ered  a 
resolution,  which  has  obtained  him  much  notoriety,  viz:  to  call 
on  Gen.  Jackson  to  redeem  the  guaranty  of  a  republican  form 
of  government.     This  is  unlucky,  for    it  gives  rise  to  a  great 
deal   of  quizzing.     Now,   in    fact,   the   excitement   among   the 
Union  men  in  those  districts  is  no  joke.     Our  friend,  the  Gen- 
eral (Huger),  feels  some  comfort  when  he  is  among  those  moun- 
taineers, for  they  partake  of  those  strong  feelings  which  carry 
him  far  ahead  of  the  rest  of  us  here.     In  fact,  I  believe  he  would 
rather  lose  his  life  in  any  effort  between  the  Union  men  and  Nulli- 
fiers  than  to  accept  peace  with  their  consent,  or,  as  he  would 
say,  of  their  condescension.     The  mountaineers  respond  to  this 
sentiment  and  say  they  don't  like  to  turn  the  quarrel  into  a  law 
suit.     However,  Mr.  Poinsett's  resolutions  were  accepted,  and 
I  believe  they  have  been  acquiesced  in  everywhere  but  in  York, 
where  the  Unionists  voted  them  too  moderate.     The  great  case 
of  McCrady  w.  Hunt,  which,  like  that  of  Sir  Edward  Hales  and 
his  coachman,  is  to  try  the  Test  Act,  was  to  have  come  on  the 
same  day  the  convention  met.     But  it  was  postponed  till  the 
31st.     We  met  with  a  great  discouragement  when  Judge  O'Neall 
was  called  home  to  attend  the  lust  hours  and  funeral  rites  of  two 
of  his  children.     Out  of  six  he  has  now  but  one.     The  court, 
therefore,  consisted  of  only  Johnson  and  Harper.     I  send  you 
a  copy  of  my  speech,  and  in  the  newspapers  you  will  find  all  of 
Grimke's  that  has  been  yet  published.     He  spoke  seven  hours 
and  bore  away  the  palm  from  all  competitors.     The  attorney- 
General  and  P.  Finley  argued  on  the  other  side.     Their  speeches 
are  not  yet  out.     I  deeply  regret  that  (irimke  has  taken  occasion 


138  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

in  the  publication  of  his  speech  to  introduce  a  new  fashion  of 
spelHng  and  to  make  it  perfectly  ridiculous;  puts  it  on  the  ground 
of  conscience,  and  is  willing  to  suffer  martyrdom  for  the  truth's 
sake.  In  the  controversy  we  are  waging  with  the  NuUifiers  we 
labor  under  the  disadvantage  of  being  obliged  to  explain. 

When  people  hear  that  we  are  in  a  sedition  on  account  of  dire 
oppression,  and  that  all  the  oppression  we  have  to  allege  is  an 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  State,  they  are  very  apt  to  think  such 
complaints  not  worth  listening  to.  At  this  time,  too,  the 
National  Republicans  are  counting  the  NuUifiers  and  too  much 
inclined  to  discourage  any  opposition  to  them.  In  such  cir- 
cumstances, when  we  need  it  the  best  apology  to  overcome 
hasty  prejudice  and  to  induce  the  public  to  think  a  second  time 
about  a  most  pernicious  precedent,  as  well  as  a  most  profligate 
evasion  of  the  Constitution,  it  is  deplorable  that  anything  should 
be  done  to  turn  our  case  to  ridicule.  I  am  afraid  we  shall  be 
thought  to  be  at  war  with  the  alphabet  and  that  many  persons 
will  take  sides  against  us,  less  on  account  of  Calhoun  than  Dil- 
worth.  We  have  had  no  intimation  of  the  opinion  of  the  judges, 
except  that  they  inquired  if  Hayne  would  enforce  the  Act  pro- 
vided they  kept  the  case  under  advisement,  and  on  his  assur- 
ance that  he  would  not  they  adjourned  on  the  14th  inst.  and 
directed  it  to  be  argued  again  at  Columbia  on  the  first  Monday 
in  May.  It  is  agreed  to  leave  it  now  to  the  up-country,  and 
Blanding  and  Tom  Williams  will  be  matched  against  Waddy 
Thompson  and  Franklin  Elmore.  Poor  Blair,  about  the  very 
time  that  you  were  pitying  him  for  the  office  he  had  lost  he  was 
making  a  most  public  and  lamentable  spectacle  of  suicide  in 
W^ashington.  At  first  it  was  reported  that  he  blew  out  his  brains 
in  the  hall,  but  it  appears  that  he  did  not  heighten  the  interest 
of  the  tragedy  in  the  English  fashion  by  having  the  murder  com- 
mitted on  the  stage.  It  was  in  his  own  chamber  at  his  lodging, 
with  nobody  in  the  room  but  our  old  friend  Murphy,  sometime 
clerk  of  the  Senate,  now  member  of  Congress  from  Alabama; 
that  he  went  quietly  to  his  dressing  table,  took  out  a  pistol  and 
in  an  instant  was  launched  into  eternity.  He  had  said  that  he 
would  do  as  much  if  he  did  not  leave  off  drinking,  and  it  seems 
he  had  satisfied  himself  that  the  effort  was  vain.  The  feeling 
was  not  without  some  greatness  of  mind,  but  showing  a  mind 
lamentably  deficient  in  proportion.  It  is  doubtful  who  will 
succeed  him,  probably  Manning. 

As  the  judges  left  the  test  oath  undecided  and  the  11th  was 
the  day  on  which  all  the  militia  were  to  be  officered  anew,  the 
election  went  on  in  the  dark.  Hunt  declined,  and  after  beating 
about  for  a  candidate  in  his  place  without  success,  Gilchrist 
consented  to  oppose  T.  O.  Elliott  and  James  Smith  was  set  up 
against  Jerry  Yates  for  major.  The  result  was  announced  in 
the  afternoon.     We  had  lost  all  the  field  officers  but  Smith,  and 


James  Louis  Petigru  139 

I  was  obliged  to  hear  from  everybody  I  met  the  same  complaint, 
that  our  party  were  good  for  nothing;  would  not  turn  out,  etc. 
Strange  to  tell,  however,  the  next  day,  when  the  managers  met 
to  sign  their  return  they  found  an  error  in  additicjn  and  Gil- 
christ was  actually  elected.  The  test  oath  meantime  is  sus- 
pended and  no  officers  have  qualified  at  all.  Governor  Havne 
has  in  readiness  a  store  of  commissions  in  a  new  form  for  forty 
years  (since  1794).  They  say  "the  reposing  confidence  in  your 
fidelity  to  the  United  States."  He  has  put  the  State  of  South 
Carolina  in  place  of  the  United  States,  and  has  a  rigmarole  oath 
on  the  back  into  which  he  has  worked  up  the  staples  of  all  the 
oaths  in  being  with  the  ordinance  tor  a  ground  work. 

I  hardly  entertain  a  doubt  that  the  court  will  cast  the  new 
oath  overboard.  But  they  have  passed  a  bill  for  altering  the 
Constitution,  and  if  they  carry  the  bill  through  the  next  legis- 
lature we  shall  have  the  same  thing  back  on  us  next  year.  Our 
only  hope  is  in  the  resistance  o\  the  mountaineers.  The  fear 
of  civil  blood,  which  would  ruin  the  character  of  Nullification, 
may  induce  them  to  pause.  Indeed,  there  appears  to  me  great 
supineness  among  them.  Hayne  does  not  play  his  part  with 
any  life  or  animation.  He  is  set  down  or  never  seen  and  I'm 
told  he  never  entertains.  Hamilton  does  not  give  the  people 
half  as  many  proofs  of  his  care  as  he  used  to  do,  and  the  defence 
of  Nullification  seems  to  be  left  to  the  town  bands  of  editors  and 
pot  house  politicians  and  patriots  in  search  of  office.  McDuffie, 
breaking  down  with  dyspepsia,  is  to  be  governor  next  year,  and 
Hayne  is  to  be  a  judge  as  soon  as  a  vacancy  is  found  or  made 
for  him. 

One  strange  result  of  the  unsettled  state  of  things  here  relates 
to  myself.  I  have  sent  my  daughter  Caroline  to  New  York  to 
school,  and,  singular,  Mrs.  Hamilton  has  sent  her  daughter. 
Without  any  concert  we  found  that  we  were  both  in  the  same 
disposition  and  sent  our  children  under  the  care  of  Mrs.  Douglass 
Cruger.     Adieu. 

Yours  ever, 

Ratin  vs.  Bertrand  is  not  arrived  yet.  Your  two  letters,  lOth 
of  February  and  4th  of  March,  I  received  together  with  some 
newspapers.  It  is  very  true  Europeans  are  more  sparing  of 
words  than  we.  It  would  take  many  great  debates  in  Paris  to 
one  great  speech.  The  only  eloquent  thing  this  winter  from 
Washington  is  Clay's  apostrophe  to  Van  Buren,  telling  him  to 
go  to  the  President  and  ad-  [the  rest  of  the  letter  is  lost]. 


140  ^(/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO    WILLIAM    DRAYTON 

Charleston,  23  May,  1834. 
My  dear  Sir: 

*  *  *  We  have  just  heard  authentically  (that  is,  Major 
Hamilton  says  the  news  from  Columbia  is)  that  the  judges  have 
unanimously  decided  and  ruled  the  test  oath  to  be  contrary  to 
the  Constitution.  Well  done  good  and  faithful  servants:  Long 
life  to  the  free  and  governing  principles  of  the  common  law. 

1  thank  you  for  the  kind  interest  you  took  in  making  inquiries 
about  the  schools  in  Philadelphia.  Circumstances  have  de- 
termined me  in  favor  of  New  York.  Henry  Cruger  was  going 
there:  and  he  and  his  wife  offered  to  take  charge  of  our  child, 
and  Mrs.  Hamilton  determined  to  send  her  daughter  there,  so 
we  made  it  a  joint  enterprise,  and  the  children  are  gone  to  Mad. 
Bensse's. 

I  hope  you  are  enjoying  the  recreation  of  spring  weather  after 
this  tedious  winter  we  have  had.  It  has  been  cold  and  dis- 
agreeable here.  And  the  rice  crops  are  blackened  by  the  late 
frosts;  and  the  cotton  planters  have  been  obliged  to  plant  over 
several  times;  appearances  are  much  against  them. 

I  have  some  hope  that  peace  will  not  be  restored  to  the  State. 
There  is  no  doubt  of  it  unless  the  Nullifiers  push  the  alteration 
of  the  Constitution.  Whether  they  will  do  so,  whether  they 
will  succeed  if  they  do,  what  will  be  the  consequence  if  they  suc- 
ceed, are  all  uncertain.  They  had  just  two-thirds  last  year  in 
Senate.  We  gain  a  senator  in  Chesterfield.  Lose  one  probably 
in  St.  Thomas  and  in  Laurens.  But  what  effect  this  decision 
of  the  court  may  have  on  our  people  I  do  not  know.  Perhaps 
the  desire  of  peace  may  prevail  over  the  spirit  of  party.  The 
Nullifiers  certainly  have  not  made  friends  by  their  test  oath. 
They  are  not  as  strong  as  they  were  in  the  Union  districts. 
Whether  they  have  lost  their  majority  in  any  district  is  another 
thing. 

Yours  truly, 

P.  S. — The  old  man  at  Washington  is  certainly  getting  into 
trouble  daily.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  people  in  the  world 
that  his  principles  suit  at  present  are  the  Nullifiers,  and  as  they 
have  no  principle  at  all  he  loses  even  what  he  is  entitled  to. 

TO    WILLIAM    DRAYTON 

Charleston,  11  June,  1834. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  ought  to  have  taken  an  earlier  opportunity  to  answer  your 
letter  of  the  1st,  but  hope  you  will  be  willing  to  receive  my  ex- 
cuse. The  Court  of  Common  Pleas  adjourned  on  Saturday, 
until  that  was  over  I  had  a  good  deal  to  do.     Besides  I  have 


James  Louis  Petigru  141 

contracted  an  exceeding  bad  habit,  that  of"  disliking  the  pen.  It 
grows  so  much  upon  me  that  in  self  defense  I  believe  I  shall  have 
to  make  a  point  of  writing  a  certain  quantity  every  day.  If 
something  of  that  sort  is  not  done  it  seems  to  me  I  shall  soon 
be  in  as  bad  a  condition  as  those  who  never  had  a  writing  master 
at  all. 

Unfortunately  the  first  rumour  which  we  received  of  the  de- 
cision on  the  test  oath  went  beyond  the  reality.  The  judgement 
is  by  a  majority  only;  Harper  dissents  and  thereby  gives  the 
sanction  of  his  name  to  the  discontents  excited  by  the  decision. 
The  first  explosion  was  at  Columbia  and  the  temper  and  spirit 
of  their  resolutions  were  perfectly  Jacobinical.  The  rage  to 
which  they  gave  way  in  Charleston  far  exceeded  what  I  had 
supposed  would  take  place  and  up  to  the  time  of  the  meeting 
at  the  Circus  I  was  very  anxious  about  the  result.  The  ex- 
governor  had  a  conversation  with  me  and  I  really  thought  that 
when  he  began  to  raise  his  voice  and  speak  of  the  future  action 
of  the  party  his  eyes  were  lighted  up  with  an  expression  of  mis- 
chievous purport.  The  meeting  at  the  Circus  took  place  and 
there  was  less  excitement  than  I  expected.  It  was  surmised 
that  the  legislature  would  be  convened  and  a  convention  called. 
The  Circus  meeting  did  not  allude  to  a  convention  and  left  it 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  governor  to  call  the  legislature.  The  next 
day  the  governor  responded  to  the  call  of  the  Circus  by  announc- 
ing that  he  should  not  call  the  legislature.  The  Circus  resolved 
that  the  associations  should  be  reestablished,  but  I  am  not  sure 
that  they  will  be  able  to  rally  the  same  numbers  again.  In  fact 
the  exhibitions  of  the  last  few  days  induce  me  to  think  the  Nulli- 
fiers  in  the  Circus  have  rather  gone  beyond  the  feeling  of  their 
men,  and  that  the  agitation  will  languish.  Yet  they  will  proba- 
bly have  the  same  majority  which  they  had  last  year  and  alter 
the  4th  article  of  the  Constitution  by  incorporating  the  word 
allegiance  in  the  constitutional  oath.  In  fact  the  word  allegi- 
ance is  not  such  a  mighty  terror,  and  as  we  have  got  rid  of  the 
supposition  that  the  ordinance  is  to  regulate  the  meaning  of  the 
oath,  I  suppose  our  people  will  take  it.  It  is  surmised  that  Mr. 
Dunkin  will  be  added  to  the  Court  of  Appeals.     *     *     * 

Yours  truly, 


142  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

An 

Oration 

delivered  before  the  Washington  Society 

on  the 

Fourth  July,  1834 

By  James  Louis  Petigru 

Published  by  request 


Oration 


This  day,  fellow  citizens,  which  recalls  the  Declaration  of 
American  Independence,  brings  with  it  the  associations  of  a  train 
of  great  events.  We  are  irresistibly  carried  back  to  the  con- 
templation of  the  colonies  in  a  state  of  peaceful  dependence  on 
the  mother  country,  and  to  a  review  of  their  subsequent  progress 
through  the  risks  and  hardships  of  the  Revolution,  and  the  dis- 
orders of  an  unsettled  and  feeble  polity,  to  the  attainment  of  a 
free  and  stable  government,  in  the  adoption  of  the  federal  Con- 
stitution. If  we  could  raise  our  minds  to  a  just  and  lively  con- 
ception of  all  that  was  done  and  suffered  to  make  this  memorable 
day  a  national  jubilee — could  we  realize  the  scenes  of  this  great 
drama — no  lesson  could  be  more  instructive;  no  representation 
could  be  more  powerful,  to  purify  the  feelings  and  amend  the 
heart. 

The  settlement  of  the  colonies  was  coeval  with  that  struggle 
between  liberty  and  prerogative,  which  in  its  progress  kindled 
a  civil  war  in  England,  and  led  to  the  expulsion  of  the  reigning 
family.  The  early  settlers  were  deeply  imbued  with  sentiments 
favorable  to  a  popular  form  of  government,  and  this  disposition 
was  fostered  by  the  circumstances  m  which  they  were  placed. 
The  territorial  divisions  were  fixed  by  grants  which  the  crown 
from  time  to  time  had  made  to  individuals  or  companies.  These 
grants  were  also  charters  of  incorporation  on  a  great  scale,  mak- 
ing the  inhabitants  a  corporate  body,  with  ample  jurisdiction 
over  subjects  of  a  local  nature.  The  colonies  therefore  were 
separate  communities  after  the  example  of  free  cities,  that  have 
a  particular  government  and  a  domestic  jurisdiction.  These 
political  societies  had  no  interference  in  the  affairs  of  one  another 
but  they  were  all  fellow-subjects.  They  acknowledged  one 
sovereign,  and  the  tie  of  allegiance  was  the  common  bond  of 
Union.  The  legislative  power  of  Parliament,  never  distinctly 
defined,  was  in  practice  limited  in  a  great  measure  to  the  regu- 
lation of  commerce,  and  the  people  claimed,  and  generally  en- 
joyed the  privileges  of  the  British  constitution.  Under  a  system 
thus  mild  and  rational,  the  growth  of  the  colonies  was  no  less  a 
subject  of  wonder  and  admiration  than  a  source  of  unexampled 
prosperity  to  the  mother  country. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  143 

But  in  the  course  of  time  the  natural  hostility  between  sover- 
eignty and  liberty  began  to  appear.  The  legislative  authority 
which  Parliament  had  always  to  a  certain  extent  exercised  in 
America,  was  made  the  foundation  for  the  claim  of  absolute 
power,  and  the  duty  of  the  people  of  the  colonies  was  perverted 
into  the  idea  of  an  unconditional  subjection  to  the  will  of  Parlia- 
ment. The  promulgation  of  such  doctrines  alarmed  the  jealousy 
of  liberty,  and  the  pretensions  of  Parliament  were  met  in  the 
spirit  of  determined  resistance.  At  length  an  act  of  Parliament 
for  raising  a  revenue  in  America  brought  the  controversy  to  a 
point  from  which  there  was  no  receding.  The  common  danger 
and  the  community  of  their  rights  as  British  subjects  united  the 
provinces  at  first  in  remonstrance  and  finally  in  arms.  In  vain 
did  the  advocates  of  the  ministry  endeavor  to  justify  their  meas- 
ures. In  vain  did  they  urge  "that  there  must  be  in  every  State 
a  supreme,  absolute, uncontrolled  authority  in  which  the  jura 
summi  imperii^  or  right  of  sovereignty  reside."  Our  forefathers 
had  not  learned  that  allegiance  was  due  to  any  but  lawful  au- 
thority. Still  less  inclined  were  they  to  entertain  the  monstrous 
proposition  that  despotism  is  of  the  essence  of  government.  No 
sophistry  could  impose  upon  them  to  admit  that  sovereignty  is  in 
its  nature  unlimited.  They  rejected  as  mere  verbal  criticism 
assumptions  of  power  founded  on  the  definitions  of  sovereignty 
and  allegiance,  and  regarded  as  "vain  wrangling  all,  and  false 
philosophy,"  arguments  designed  to  prove  their  allegiance  in- 
volved the  obligations  of  unconditional  obedience.  The  phil- 
osophy which  proceeds  by  experiment  and  induction  is  not  more 
different  from  the  learning  that  attempted  to  find  out  nature 
by  reasoning  from  first  principles  than  the  views  of  the  authors 
of  American  Independence,  from  all  systems  of  government 
built  upon  shadowy  abstractions.  The  American  people  went 
to  war  with  the  mother  country  for  their  inherited  rights  and 
privileges.  The  right  of  resistance  belongs  by  the  law  of  nature 
to  every  oppressed  people,  but  our  forefathers  fought  to  retain 
the  freedom  in  which  they  were  born.  The  exemption  which 
they  claimed  from  all  taxation,  except  by  their  own  representa- 
tives, was  in  strict  conformity  with  the  British  constitution, 
and  with  immemorial  usage.  When  all  measures  of  reconcili- 
ation had  been  exhausted;  when  the  sword  was  drawn,  and  there 
was  no  alternative  but  revolution  or  treason,  they  took,  their 
ground  with  the  intrepidity  of  men  that  could  look  danger  in  the 
face,  and  proclaimed  the  independence  of  the  United  States. 

Such  were  the  causes  and  origin  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
For  seven  long  years  did  the  American  people  wage  a  doubtful 
contest  with  an  enemy  that  had  attained  the  very  highest  emi- 
nence in  national  greatness;  rendered  implacable  by  wounded 
pride,  and  stimulated  to  incredible  exertions,  by  the  confidence 
of  fancied  superiority.     Cold  must  be  the  heart  that  does  not 


144  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

I 

warm  with  the  contemplation  of  this  picture,  and  acknowledge 
with  pious  gratitude  our  obligations  to  the  Almighty,  that 
blessed  the  cause  of  our  forefathers,  and  supported  them  through 
the  dark  days  of  their  almost  hopeless  conflict.  The  strong- 
holds of  the  country  were  subdued,  and  many  a  disastrous  battle 
dimmed  the  hopes  of  liberty.  On  many  a  field  the  blood  that 
was  poured  out  in  defense  of  freedom  lay  unavenged;  and  many 
a  mother  wept  for  her  fallen  sons  with  bitter  anticipations  of 
her  country's  fate.  But  the  spirit  of  the  people  was  unsubdued, 
and  the  indissoluble  Union  ot  the  States,  which  no  jealousy 
could  undermine,  were  the  best  assurances  of  ultimate  success. 
Neither  the  want  of  arms,  of  money,  nor  of  the  necessities  of 
life  could  shake  the  firmness  of  Congress,  nor  seduce  the  fidelity 
of  the  patriot  army.  The  steady  resolution  displayed  in  the 
counsels  of  America,  and  the  magnanimous  sacrifices  of  her  sons 
in  arms,  commanded  the  respect  of  the  nations,  and  secured  the 
alliance  of  powerful  friends.  The  foe  was  broken  by  the  energy 
of  a  resistance  that  would  not  yield;  victory  at  length  rested  on 
the  arms  of  America;  and  millions  hailed  with  delight  the  star 
of  peace  once  more  resplendent  over  the  land  of  freedom. 

The  independence  of  the  United  States  was  acknowledged  by 
the  treaty  of  1783,  and  a  just  cause  was  crowned  with  the  most 
glorious  success.  A  great  revolution  was  effected  and  a  people 
of  British  name  and  origin  were  irrevocably  separated  from  the 
parent  stock. 

But  the  glory  of  this  day  consists  not  in  the  downfall  of  power 
but  in  the  establishment  of  a  new  and  more  beautiful  order  of 
things.  Revolutions  have  been  common,  but  it  was  reserved 
for  the  sages  of  America  to  bring  back  again  the  times  of  the 
Republic;  to  restore  a  name  that  had  almost  been  forgotten  by 
the  nations — and  to  exhibit  in  these  late  ages  the  example  of  a 
Free  Commonwealth.  Here  is  the  source  of  the  joy  and  gratu- 
lation  with  which  the  return  of  this  day  is  welcomed.  This  it 
is  which  has  rendered  the  American  Revolution  a  great  event 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  and  made  it  a  resting  place  in  the  prog- 
ress of  history.  But  the  first  difficulties  only  had  been  yet  over- 
come; the  consummation  was  still  deferred  and  the  United  States 
was  to  pass  through  many  trials  after  their  independence  was 
acknowledged  before  the  promise  could  be  fulfilled,  and  the 
people  could  repose  "every  man  under  his  own  vine  and  fig 
tree,"  in  the  conscious  security  of  a  just  and  stable  government. 

Nor  did  it  require  less  virtue  to  establish  the  Constitution 
than  to  overcome  the  arms  of  Britain. 

When  the  rupture  between  the  mother  country  and  the  colo- 
nies took  place.  State  governments  were  naturally  and  easily 
organized,  because  they  were  bu'lt  on  the  basis  of  the  Colonial 
governments  But  to  establish  a  common  jurisdiction  in  the 
place  of  that  which    had  been  swept  away,  was  an  undertaking 


James  Louis  Petigru  145 

in  which  it  was  necessary  to  build  anew.  Neither  the  same 
powers  which  the  several  colonies  had  recognized  in  the  general 
superintendence  of  the  mother  country,  nor  the  same  forms 
were  any  longer  applicable.  The  adjustment  of  the  common 
duties  which  the  war  had  imposed  on  the  States  and  the  regu- 
lation of  their  common  interests  required  a  superintending  and 
controlling  power.  But  to  organize  such  a  power  required  a 
new  system  for  which  the  times  afforded  neither  leisure  nor 
experience.  A  union  of  the  heart  and  hand  was  created  by 
necessity;  afterwards  by  the  articles  of  confederation — such 
powers  and  such  only  as  the  exigencies  of  the  times  demanded 
were  vested  in  Congress.  Self  preservation  made  the  States 
cooperate  in  the  common  defense  and  preserved  the  Union  in 
despite  of  the  defects  of  the  Confederacy.  But  the  return  of 
peace  brought  new  duties  for  the  discharge  of  which  something 
more  than  the  independent  action  of  the  States  was  necessary — 
a  great  public  debt  had  been  contracted,  the  channels  of  trade 
were  obstructed,  and  industry  was  at  a  stand.  To  discharge 
this  debt — to  superintend  the  relations  of  peace  and  war — and  to 
open  a  commercial  intercourse  with  foreign  countries  were  the 
duties  of  Congress;  but  the  power  of  effecting  these  objects  was 
everywhere  wanting.  The  State  governments  were  essentially 
local  in  their  character.  By  the  articles  of  the  Confederacv  the 
States  were  sovereign,  but  they  were  sovereign  in  a  condition 
of  perpetual  minority;  and  the  gratifications  of  State  pride  re- 
sulted in  the  dishonorable  privileges  of  a  legal  disability.  In 
separating  from  Great  Britain  the  colonies  had  no  design  of 
separating  from  one  another.  On  the  contrary,  a  strict  Union 
among  themselves  was  indispensable  to  the  freedom  and  inde- 
pendence to  which  they  were  heart  and  soul  devoted.  The 
general  interests  were  intrusted  to  Congress;  but  in  their  feeble 
hands  the  public  prosperity  was  withering  away.  The  general 
confusion  was  increased  by  a  disputed  boundary  with  Spain, 
the  hostility  of  the  Indian  tribes  and  the  occupation  of  the  west- 
ern country  by  British  garrisons.  The  public  creditor  called 
in  vain  for  justice,  and  private  distress  went  hand  in  hand  with 
national  bankruptcy. 

Five  years  of  embarrassment,  weakness  and  confusion,  suc- 
ceeded to  seven  years  of  glorious  but  desolating  war — and  a  new 
revolution  was  approaching.  The  people  of  the  United  States 
were  really  fellow-citizens  by  birth:  the  several  States  were  in 
fact  but  members  of  one  body.  The  interests  which  the  States 
could  not  regulate  were  essentially  interwoven  with  the  whole 
structure  of  Society,  and  for  the  want  of  a  common  jurisdiction 
the  people  were  to  a  considerable  degree  deprived  of  the  pro- 
tection of  any  government.  The  dissolution  of  the  confed- 
eracy appeared  to  be  inevitable — and  the  only  way  of  safetv  lay 
in  the  concession  of  high,  important  and  sovereign  powers  by 


146  J^if^-,  Letters  and  Speeches 

the  States.  Such  sacrifices,  however,  could  only  be  expected 
from  the  most  generous  and  enlightened  patriotism.  The  love 
of  sway  is  so  natural  to  the  human  mind  that  the  voluntary 
resignation  of  power  will  always  constitute  an  exception  to  the 
ordinary  conduct  of  men.  The  establishment  of  a  national 
government,  therefore,  encountered  all  manner  of  opposition 
as  well  from  the  interested  ambition  of  some,  as  from  the  honest 
fears  of  others.  But  sentiments  more  worthy  of  the  virtuous 
days  of  the  Republic,  a  sense  of  justice,  a  high  feeling  of  national 
honor,  a  generous  love  of  country  at  length  prevailed;  and  the 
States  adopted  the  decided  measure  of  appointing  delegates 
to  the  Convention  of  1787.  To  this  memorable  council  every- 
thing most  venerable  in  character,  most  distinguished  in  service, 
and  eminent  in  abilities,  was  seen  repairing  from  all  parts  of 
America.  Their  duties  were  equally  novel  and  arduous,  and 
the  difficulties  which  surrounded  them  almost  insurmountable. 
During  the  whole  summer,  from  May  to  September,  they  dis- 
cussed the  nice  and  difficult  balance  between  the  States  and 
the  General  Government,  and  the  distribution  of  the  powers 
with  which  the  General  Government  should  be  invested.  Nor 
did  they  close  their  deliberations  till  they  had  devised  and  com- 
pleted a  system  which,  for  comprehensiveness  of  plan,  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  method,  and  the  harmonious  adaption  of  the 
parts,  easily  surpasses  the  work  of  all  former  law-givers,  and 
justly  challenges  the  character  of  a  masterpiece  of  wisdom. 

The  unanimity  of  the  Convention  was  a  great  source  of  joy. 
But  the  battle  was  not  yet  won — the  Constitution  was  still  to 
undergo  the  severe  scrutiny  of  the  States  in  Convention.  There 
the  debate  was  renewed  with  zeal,  caught  from  the  passions 
which  most  powerfully  excite  the  mind. 

Every  objection  was  urged  which  ingenuity  could  form,  and 
every  point  was  defended  with  all  the  skill  of  argument,  and  force 
of  intellect.  For  a  whole  year  the  decision  was  suspended.  In 
many  a  stormy  debate  the  cause  appeared  to  be  lost,  and  in 
many  a  narrow  division  the  Constitution  was  saved  by  a  few 
votes.  But  at  length  reason  triumphed  over  prejudice;  the 
accession  of  1 1  States  terminated  the  struggle  which  the  powers 
of  chaos  had  maintained  with  the  principles  of  order,  and  the 
long  period  of  doubt  was  closed  by  the  adoption  of  the  Federal 
Constitution.  Such  were  the  trials  through  which  our  fathers 
passed,  and  such  the  difficulties  of  founding  the  seat  of  Liberty 
in  this  Western  world.  History  affords  no  parallel  of  a  people 
taking  up  arms  in  defence  of  their  liberty,  prosecuting  the  war 
with  the  highest  fortitude  and  courage,  to  a  successful  termina- 
tion; and  afterwards  in  time  of  profound  peace,  calmly  discuss- 
ing, and  deliberately  adopting  a  free  Constitution  for  the  gov- 
ernment of  themselves  and  their  posterity.  Nor  were  the  actors 
in  these  great  scenes  unworthy  of  the  parts  they  were  called  to 


James  Louis  Petigru  147 

perform.  And  as  in  the  representation  of  Genius  the  plot  is  not 
considered  perfect,  without  some  preeminent  personage  who 
fills  the  highest  part,  and  is  distinguished  as  the  hero  of  the 
scene;  so  the  moral  sublimity  of  this  grand  national  exhibition 
is  raised  to  the  highest  degree  and  perfected  in  the  character  of 
Washington.  In  him  we  behold  a  model  of  virtue  and  great- 
ness, to  rescue  the  human  name  from  obloquy,  to  teach  men  the 
truth  of  their  celestial  origin,  and  to  revere  in  their  common 
nature  the  presence  of  something  noble  and  divine.  Let  the 
grateful  task  of  commemorating  the  fame  of  Washington  and 
his  companions  be  committed  to  an  eloquence  more  worthy  of 
the  theme.  Their  names  are  recorded  in  history,  and  there  may 
every  one  who  feels  for  the  honor  of  Carolina  read  with  exulta- 
tion that  Rutledge,  the  pride  of  the  South,  and  his  compatriots 
were  equally  distinguished  as  the  defenders  of  liberty,  and  the 
zealous  champions  of  the  Union. 

Thus  was  the  settlement  of  things  in  the  United  States  ef- 
fected; and  those  who,  by  their  own  good  swords,  had  made  the 
States  sovereign,  animated  by  a  disinterested  zeal  for  the  public 
good,  retrenched  the  prerogatives  of  the  State  to  make  the  national 
government  supreme  within  its  proper  jurisdiction.  To  estab- 
lish justice,  ensure  tranquility,  and  secure  the  blessings  of 
liberty,  were  the  high  and  noble  motives  of  the  authors  of  the 
Constitution.  Does  any  one  regret  their  choice?  To  appre- 
ciate their  political  wisdom,  look  around.  The  gloom  which 
hung  over  America  has  been  dissipated.  No  hostile  tribes  any 
longer  disturb  the  peace  of  the  frontiers.  The  Mississippi,  no 
more  a  Spanish  river,  bears  on  its  bosom  a  vast  commerce,  the 
produce  of  the  Western  country  now  converted  into  the  seat 
of  new  and  flourishing  States:  Commerce  no  longer  languishes 
in  our  bays  and  rivers,  but  spreads  its  sails  in  every  sea,  and 
rides  in  proud  security  beneath  the  starry  banner:  The  credi- 
tor no  longer  complains  of  violated  faith;  the  public  debt  is  paid, 
and  justice  waves  her  peaceful  scepter  over  a  land  that  smiles 
with  plenty.  But  shall  it  be  said  that  the  necessity  of  the  Union 
no  longer  exists.''  that  the  Constitution  has  served  its  day,  and 
may  now  be  consigned  to  its  place  among  the  trumpery  of  a 
by-gone  age?  God  forbid — too  often  have  the  best  hopes  of 
men  been  blasted  by  the  presumption  of  success;  too  often  have 
the  wholesome  lessons  of  experience  been  supplanted  by  the 
flattery  of  those  false  friends  with  whom  the  summer  of  pros- 
perity abounds.  Union  and  Liberty  are  essentially  connected. 
Let  presumption  forbear  and  learn  that  those  whom  God  has 
joined  shall  never  be  separated  without  incurring  the  doom  of 
a  heavy  retribution. 

There  are  two  dangers  against  which  a  free  State  must  always 
provide,  domestic  faction  and  foreign  conquest.  The  Federal 
Constitution  is  the  only  effectual  safe-guard  against  both.     It 


148  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

provides  ample  means  against  foreign  aggression,  and  is  the 
very  best  security  against  the  tyranny  of  faction.  Without  the 
Union  South  Carohna  would  be  a  simple  consolidated  govern- 
ment; but  in  such  a  state,  when  a  combination  exists  powerful 
enough  to  ensure  a  majority,  laws  afford  to  the  proscribed  mi- 
nority but  a  feeble  security.  That  such  combinations  will  take 
place  is  certain,  for  the  tendency  to  party  is  inherent  in  the 
human  mind;  and  they  will  be  most  prevalent  in  small  States, 
because  in  them  the  intimate  association  of  all  the  members  of 
the  community  creates  a  more  lively  interest  in  the  individual 
fortunes  of  every  leader — brings  the  excitement  of  controversy 
into  every  house,  and  kindles  the  minds  of  all  by  the  passions 
of  a  few.  But  the  Federal  Constitution  keeps  party  within 
bounds  by  limiting  the  amount  of  power  and  patronage  that  can 
be  obtained  by  getting  possession  of  the  States.  To  lay  hold 
of  supreme  power  it  is  necessary  to  surmount  the  barriers  of  the 
Federal  Constitution,  as  well  as  those  of  the  State  Constitution. 
If  the  Union  was  abolished  any  party  that  gained  the  complete 
ascendancy  in  the  State,  would  have  all  things  at  their  com- 
mand— the  appointment  of  Ambassadors,  Generals,  and  Naval 
Commanders,  with  the  direction  of  military  forces,  in  addition 
to  all  the  appendages  of  the  present  civil  list.  Such  patronage 
could  not  fail  to  excite  the  cupidity  of  that  class  numerous  in  all 
countries,  that  desire  to  live  on  the  public  burdens;  and  the 
possession  of  supreme  power  would  present  to  ambitious  minds 
an  object  of  the  highest  attraction.  The  contention  for  public 
favor  would  be  carried  on  with  inextinguishable  zeal,  where  the 
prizes  of  success  were  so  brilliant.  The  dominant  party  would 
be  above  all  law,  and  the  identity  of  State  sovereignty  and  des- 
potism would  be  verified  in  fact.  Nothing  could  be  more  falla- 
cious than  the  opinion  that  interest  is  the  only  ground  of  party, 
or  that  no  parties  are  dangerous  but  those  which  are  separated 
by  a  difference  of  interest.  The  truth  is  the  other  way.  Such 
an  opinion  could  only  be  suggested  by  a  narrow  view  of  that 
comparative  exemption  from  domestic  faction  for  which  we 
are,  in  fact,  indebted  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
The  distinction  between  two  governments.  State  and  Federal, 
has  a  great  tendency  to  unite  the  people  of  each  State  among 
themselves.  But  parties  founded  on  difference  of  principle  and 
opinion,  aggravated  by  foreign  influence,  naturally  the  bane  of 
Republics,  would  spring  up  in  rank  luxuriance  among  the  people 
of  the  same  State  as  soon  as  the  barriers  of  the  Federal  Consti- 
tution were  removed.  Whatever  therefore  tends  to  destroy 
the  Federal  Constitution,  instead  of  increasing  liberty,  strength- 
ens power;  divides  the  people  of  the  State,  instead  of  uniting 
them;  and  opens  the  door  to  the  excess  of  faction.  But  do  not 
our  own  times  furnish  a  new  and  instructive  lesson  on  this  sub- 
ject?    The  Union  Party  and  the  Nullifiers  are  divided  by  a  dif- 


James  Louis  Petigru  149 

ference  of  opinion  as  to  State  Rights.  And  can  there  be  a 
stronger  illustration  of  the  violence  of  party  than  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  now,  in  the  complete  ascendency  of  party,  the 
same  arguments  are  actually  employed  against  the  minority, 
which  the  British  Ministry  in  1776  relied  on  against  America 
to  show  that  sovereign  power  can  not  be  limited?  Private 
rights  must  give  way  to  Imperial  Sovereignty  of  the  State,  and 
party  zeal  is  not  satisfied  till  it  has  been  carefully  and  exactly 
demonstrated  that  a  majority  of  two-thirds  may  well  do  what- 
ever any  despot  can  inflict  on  his  unhappy  subjects.  Kings 
would  trample  upon  law  by  virtue  ot  divine  right — party  leaders 
claim  to  do  the  same  thing  by  virtue  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
people.  That  Constitution  which  sets  some  limits  to  the  State 
Sovereignty  needs  no  higher  eulogy  than  the  alliance  thus 
avowed  between  sovereignty  and  despotism. 

The  deplorable  defects  of  party  in  the  Republics  of  Greece 
and  Italy  are  written  in  every  page  of  their  history.  But  why 
seek,  for  foreign  examples.''  If  there  be  any  abuse  of  power  par- 
ticularly odious  and  revolting,  it  is  the  presumption  of  attempt- 
ing to  bind  the  human  mind  in  chains,  and  to  make  opinion  the 
subject  of  penalty.  And  of  all  the  people  under  Heaven,  our 
fellow  citizens  of  South  Carolina,  where  a  majority  has  so  re- 
cently seen  fit  to  change  their  principles,  ought  to  be  incapable 
of  aiming  such  a  blow  against  freedom  of  opinion.  Yet  even 
here  no  sooner  was  party  ascendency  complete  than  the  reign 
of  proscription  began — by  test  oaths  and  pretentious  threats  of 
laws  against  treason.  In  March,  1833,  a  Convention  claiming 
supreme  imperial  power,  t\\&jura  summi  imperrii,  ordained  that 
it  should  be  lawful  for  the  Legislature  in  their  discretion  to  exact 
an  acknowledgment  of  such  supreme  authority,  by  a  suitable 
oath  of  allegiance,  as  a  test  of  qualification  for  office;  and  to  se- 
cure State  Sovereignty  by  giving  a  free  scope  to  the  laws  of 
treason.  And  in  December  of  the  same  year  the  Legislature 
responded  by  vacating  all  offices  in  the  militia,  and  requiring  all 
the  new  officers  to  make  upon  oath  that  profession  of  allegiance, 
which  the  Ordinance  required.  A  judiciary,  of  whom  any  coun- 
try might  be  proud,  are  now  denounced  for  vindicating  the 
Constitution  from  this  assault.  We  still  trust  that  the  people 
will  not  consent  to  see  the  faithful  guards  of  the  temple  of 
Liberty  overpowered  in  the  defense  of  their  post.  But  if  man- 
kind must  have  a  new  proof  how  surely  justice  is  trampled  under 
foot  by  party,  and  the  judges  who  have  defended  the  Constitu- 
tion from  the  first  inroad  of  lawless  power  must  be  sacrificed 
to  its  rage,  their  decision  will  at  least  be  an  enduring  record  of 
the  freedom  that  was  enjoyed  before  the  Test  Oaths  began,  and 
an  imperishable  monument  of  moral  firmness  and  judicial  in- 
tegrity. 

The  sovereignty  of  the  people  is  an  axiom  of  Liberty.     But 


150  ^i/^>  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  sovereignty  is  a  shield  to  defend,  not  a  sword  to  destroy  the 
private  citizen.  It  lives  and  moves  and  has  its  being  in  the 
supremacy  of  the  Constitution.  Apart  from  the  attributes  of 
constituted  authority,  it  becomes  undistinguishable  from  wild 
force  and  lawless  power.  It  is  not  the  natural  right  of  man  to 
overturn  existing  establishments,  and  to  construct  new  govern- 
ments: for  this  is  a  right  to  which  all  men  are  entitled.  But  the 
sovereignty  of  the  people  is  the  characteristic  of  constitutional 
government;  and  the  meaning  of  it  is  that  all  power  is  held  in 
trust  for  the  people,  and  all  public  authority  exercised  for  their 
benefit.  The  rights  and  jurisdiction  of  an  independent  nation, 
whether  under  the  form  of  monarchy,  despotism,  or  a  common- 
wealth, are  called  sovereign  powers,  and  under  our  complex 
system  those  rights  belong,  some  to  the  State  and  some  to  the 
United  States.  There  is  no  place  in  the  nature  of  things  for 
any  other  sort  of  sovereignty.  Why  should  we  lose  sight  of  the 
realities  to  wander  in  a  field  of  barren  abstractions.^  The  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States  is  not  a  mere  system  drawn  up 
from  first  principles,  but  a  primary  law,  adapted  to  the  existing 
state  of  things.  If  it  makes  distinctions  which  are  inconsistent 
with  the  definition  of  sovereignty  it  is  not  on  that  account  less 
obligatory.  But  even  if  there  had  been  no  necessity  for  it  in  the 
actual  circumstances  of  the  country,  the  wit  of  man  could  have 
devised  no  happier  invention  for  the  security  of  freedom  than 
the  partition  of  Sovereignty  between  the  States  as  members  of 
the  Confederacy,  and  the  Union  as  the  superintending  and  con- 
trolling authority — a  distribution  which  abridges  the  reach  of 
power  and  shortens  the  arm  of  Government. 

These  considerations  would  justify  our  zeal  for  the  Union. 
But  when  it  is  remembered  that  war  between  the  States  must 
inevitably  follow  their  separation;  that  schemes  of  conquest  or 
of  defense  would  lead  infallibly  to  large  military  establishments: 
we  are  astonished  at  the  blindness  of  those  who  will  not  see  the 
necessary  connection  between  Union  and  Liberty.  From  the 
day  that  the  Federal  Constitution  is  abolished  the  sword  will 
never  be  laid  aside  till  the  avenger  comes  and  the  tumult  of  fac- 
tion is  hushed  in  the  tranquility  of  despotism.  The  fate  of 
unhappy  Poland  is  before  our  eyes:  and  what  a  warning  do  the 
calamities  of  that  country  of  many  sovereigns,  hold  out  to  the 
people  of  these  States.  Brute  force  and  superiority  of  numbers 
have  triumphed  over  valor  and  justice,  and  swords  drawn  in  the 
most  righteous  cause  to  which  a  gallant  people  ever  invoked  the 
favor  of  Heaven,  are  shivered  in  the  dust.  United  among  them- 
selves, the  Poles  might  have  defied  the  world  and  sent  the  bar- 
barian howling  to  his  own  deserts.  But  neither  valor  that  mocks 
at  fear  nor  the  sympathies  of  all  hearts  in  which  the  sense  of 
justice  is  not  dead,  could  save  that  devoted  people  from  the 
fatal  catastrophe  of  internal  divisions.     Let  him  who  derides 


James  Louis  Petigru  151 

the  Federal  Constitution;  who  thinks  there  is  nothing  sacred  in 
the  bond  of  Union,  enjoy  the  short-hved  applause  (jf  ephemeral 
popularity;  but  the  profound  wisdom  and  exalted  public  virtue 
of  the  founders  of  the  Constitution  will  command  the  lasting 
veneration  of  mankind;  and  the  meed  of  praise  and  honor  shall 
be  awarded  to  him  whose  name  descends  to  posterity  connected 
with  the  noble  sentiment — "  The  Federal  Vnion — //  Must  be 
Preserved  y 

To  preserve  that  Union  should  be  considered  now,  as  in  the 
time  of  Washington,  "  the  greatest  interest  of  every  true  Ameri- 
can." Nor  is  it  to  be  denied  that  the  times  are  portentous  of 
change.  New  theories  concerning  sovereignty  and  the  binding 
force  of  the  Constitution  are  abroad.  Let  us  pass  by  the  con- 
sideration ot  the  ejects  that  must  ensue  from  principles  that 
put  the  Constitution  under  the  feet  of  a  majority  of  two-thirds 
in  any  State,  if  those  principles  be  carried  out  in  practice;  we 
need  not  dwell  on  the  consequences  of  exclusive  allegiance  when 
disputes  arise  concerning  the  boundary  of  jurisdiction  between 
the  public  authorities;  we  will  say  nothing  of  the  lawfulness  of 
establishing  the  creed  of  a  party  as  the  standard  of  orthodoxy, 
upon  a  subject  so  interesting  to  every  freeman,  so  complicated, 
and  necessarily  giving  rise  to  so  great  a  diversity  of  opinion  as 
the  true  balance  of  power  under  the  Constitution.  We  take 
for  granted  that  the  new  theory  is  not  infidelity  to  the  Constitu- 
tion, and  the  followers  of  this  sect  are  really  willing  to  remain 
within  the  pale  of  the  Union.  But  let  us  consider  for  a  moment 
the  moral  influence  of  the  theory  in  weakening  the  sense  of  pub- 
lic duty. 

There  is  in  morals  a  distinction  between  duties  that  are 
merely  positive  and  those  that  are  founded  on  the  great  princi- 
ples of  justice.  The  distinction  between  allegiance  to  the  State 
and  obedience  to  the  United  States,  implies  that  the  one  is 
natural  and  the  other  merely  conventional;  and  that  the  duty 
of  the  citizen  to  obey  the  laws  of  the  United  States  has  no  sanc- 
tion beyond  that  of  a  rule  making  a  difference  between  two  things 
in  themselves  indifferent.  No  one  would  pretend  to  make  a 
merit  of  such  obedience  or  to  dignify  it  with  the  name  of  virtue. 
Patriotism  is  the  sentiment  which  makes  obedience  honorable. 
But  if  the  citizen  owes  no  allegiance  to  the  United  States  it  is 
not  his  country  and  his  obedience  is  at  best  but  a  mercenary 
service.  If  the  Federal  Constitution  does  not  make  us  fellow- 
citizens  it  can  be  regarded  in  no  other  light  than  a  foreign  yoke, 
and  every  feeling  of  patriotism  must  be  enlisted  against  it.  The 
theory  which  makes  selfishness  the  only  spring  of  action  mav  be 
compatible  with  the  exercise  of  generous  virtues,  and  the  heart 
correct  the  errors  of  understanding.  Opinions  which  are  de- 
grading to  the  obligations  of  the  Constitution  may  perhaps  be 
harmless  in  practice;  but  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  these 


152  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

opinions  can  be  enacted  into  law  without  becoming  in  some 
measure  a  rule  of  conduct;  and  when  those  who  call  themselves 
citizens  of  the  United  States  are  marked  as  enemies  of  the  State 
it  is  impossible  not  to  feel  that  the  foundations  are  in  danger. 
Force  secures  obedience  in  countries  that  are  not  free,  but  the 
Republic  requires  a  more  perfect  service,  the  free  will  offering  of 
the  heart,  the  spontaneous  affection  of  the  people.  Deprived 
of  the  support  of  patriotism,  all  constitutions  are  but  dross. 
Though  Washington  sleeps  with  the  mighty  dead,  we  have  his 
testimony  in  the  solemn  warning  he  has  left  us,  that  without 
a  cordial^  habitual^  and  ini7novable  attachment  to  that  National 
Union,  which  makes  us  one  people,  our  faith  in  the  Constitution 
is  in  vain. 

Another  venerable  name,  now  numbered  with  the  dead,  calls 
to  us  from  the  grave  to  stand  by  the  Union  as  the  Palladium  of 
Liberty.     LaFayette,  the  early  friend  of  America,  whose  gen- 
erous life  was  one  long  struggle  against  tyranny,  has  terminated 
his  earthly  career.     Many  are  the  names  in  the  honored  roll  of 
patriotism  to  fire  the  mind  with  the  love  of  virtuous  fame.     But 
this  distinguished  son  of  France  gained   for  himself  a  peculiar 
claim  to  our  gratitude — we  love  to  dwell  on  the  youthful  en- 
thusiasm, the  high  spirit  of  adventure  that  brought  this  young 
disciple  of  liberty  from  the  Court  of  France  to  become  the  par- 
taker of  the  hardships  of  an  American  camp.     It  was  not  mili- 
tary glory  but  a  noble  passion,  a  zeal  for  liberty,  a  generous 
sympathy  with  a  people  struggling  to  be  free,  that  made  him 
prefer  the  rude  tents  of  America  to  the  palaces  of  kings.      His 
profound  veneration  for  the  character  of  Washington  was  the 
ingenuous  homage  of  a  mind  uncorrupted  by  factitious  distinc- 
tions to  true  dignity  and  greatness.     The  same  principles  gov- 
erned his  conduct  through  the  whole  of  a  long  and  arduous  life. 
He  saw  with  delight  the  day-spring  of  liberty  in  his  native  coun- 
try, and  watched  its  progress  with  eyes  of  longing  devotion.     He 
was  doomed  to  behold  the  cruel  reverse  of  all  his  hopes;  and  to 
see  again  and  again  abortive  efforts  to  establish  a  free  constitu- 
tion overwhelmed  by  the  blind  rage  of  the  multitude;  destroyed 
by  the  base  ascendency  of  demagogues,  or  crushed  by  the  iron 
hand  of  military  despotism.     But  to  his  latest  days  he  preserved 
the  same  generous  sentiments  that  had  animated  his  youthful 
mind,  and  midst  the  wreck  of  European  liberty  still  regarded 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  as  the  Beacon  Light  in  the 
darkness  of  the  storm.     Yes,  generous  shade!  thy  pilgrimage 
is  closed — thine  eyes  are  spared  the  anguish  which  the  extinction 
of  M^/ light  would  cause  to  all  who  venerate  the  name  of  Liberty. 
Long  shalt  thou  be  remembered    for  unshaken    fidelity  to  the 

cause  of  freedom. 

Faithful  found 
Among  innumerable  false;  unmoved. 
Unshaken,  unseduced,  unterrified. 


James  Louis  Petigru  153 

And  long  may  that  Constitution,  which  claimed  thy  love  and 
admiration,  defy  the  rage  of  faction  and  perpetuate  the  Liberties 
of  the  Great  Republic  which  owns  thee  for  a  citizen,  and  now 
surrounds  thy  tomb  with  the  memorials  of  a  Nation's  Gratitude. 

TO    WILLIAM    DRAYTON 

Charleston,  11  July,  1834. 
My  dear  Sir: 

The  decision  on  the  Test  oath  was  by  no  means  so  satisfactory 
as  our  first  hopes.  Only  a  majority  condemned  the  detestable 
principle  of  a  political  creed,  and  the  NuUifiers  raised  a  yell 
when  the  decision  first  came  out,  that  was  proof  of  the  most 
savage  intentions.  The  fury  of  passion,  however,  has  subsided 
in  some  degree.  The  part  which  Hayne  took  was  much  more 
moderate  than  was  consistent  with  the  temper  shown  in  the 
meetings  where  resolutions  had  been  passed  on  the  subject.  The 
Union  officers  receive  their  commissions  and  the  object  of  politi- 
cal agitation  seems  to  be  to  effect  the  alteration  of  the  Constitu- 
tion according  to  the  Bill  that  was  brought  in  last  winter.  It 
seems  that  they  will  succeed  for  Warren  who  voted  against  it 
last  year,  has  promised  to  vote  for  it  under  instructions  of  his 
parish — and  A.  Huger  'tis  supposed  will  lose  his  election  which 
gives  them  two  votes — and  will  make  their  majority  in  the  Sen- 
ate greater  than  it  was.  My  opinion  is  that  there  is  nothing  in 
the  alteration  of  the  Constitution  in  this  particular  that  can  be 
brought  into  conflict  with  the  Federal  Constitution.  The  oath 
in  the  Military  Bill  was  a  Test  oath,  because  it  was  in  affirmance 
of  the  ordinance  of  1833.  The  Ordinance  establishes  the  dis- 
tinction between  allegiance  to  the  State  and  obedience  to 
the  U.  S.,  and  it  was  impossible  that  any  of  us  should  sanc- 
tion that  distinction.  But  the  alteration  of  the  Constitution 
does  not  derive  its  authority  from  the  ordinance,  and  the  mere 
declaration  of  "allegiance  to  the  State"  without  any  words  of 
exclusion  or  aggravation  can  hardly  be  regarded  as  unconstitu- 
tional. _  We  shall  oppose  the  alteration,  however, — as  unwise 
and  unjust — for  in  fact  they  mean  an  unconstitutional  thing  but 
have  not  the  hardihood  to  speak  out.  Should  they  do  no  more 
however  than  carry  this  amendment  we  shall  acquiesce  in  it. 
Whether  they  will  do  more  is  vastly  uncertain.  Many  of  them 
are  for  punishing  the  judges  and  the  best  of  them  are  not  too 
good  to  do  it  if  they  were  assured  of  immunity.  But  motives 
of  policy  will  operate  strongly  against  such  schemes — and  I  am 
in  hopes  that  in  this  case  they  will  consent  to  behave  honestly — 
from  reasons  of  policy. 

I  am,  dear  Sir,  Yours  truly, 


154  J^iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO   HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  August  1,  1834. 

I  received  your  letter  of  1 1th  of  June,  my  dear  Legare,  yester- 
day, and  one  of  27th  of  May  a  week  before.  I  see  with  pain 
that  your  mind  is  not  as  much  at  ease  as  it  was  while  your  curi- 
osity was  more  excited.  But  it  is  only  a  passing  cloud.  He 
that  can  learn  German  to  amuse  him  has  resources  that  make 
it  even  criminal  to  be  unhappy.  It  is  as  unreasonable  as  our 
friend  Harper,  who  can  take  a  quart  with  impunity,  making 
shipwreck  for  the  sake  of  one  pint  more.  This  reminds  one  of 
his  opinion  on  the  test  oath,  which  came  out  long  after  the  time 
all  on  account,  his  friends  say,  of  his  "forswearing  their  pota- 
tions." I  sent  the  arguments  of  O'Neall  vs.  Johnson  (as  that 
model  for  an  apprentice  in  the  law.  Master  Plowden  always 
calls  them)  and  hope  you  got  them,  and  before  I  commit  this 
letter  to  the  post  I  will  rummage  for  a  copy  of  Harper's,  which 
is  very  well  done  for  a  thing  of  the  kind,  I  suppose.  But,  posi- 
tively, all  Nullification  seems  to  me  equally  good,  and  I  am 
serious  in  thinking  Lewis  Cruger  one  of  the  ablest  writers  on 
their  side.  There  is  something  in  this  notion  of  turning  the 
most  important  pursuits  of  men  into  an  exercise  of  ontology 
that  looks  marvellously  like  setting  bedlam  loose  and  locking  up 
the  rest  of  the  world.  The  eloquence  and  power  of  reason 
which  I  see  everywhere  arrayed  in  defence  of  Nullification, 
State  sovereignty,  etc.,  fill  me  with  such  a  feeling  of  despair  as 
we  may  suppose  would  operate  upon  those  that  would  have  to 
listen  to  the  first  outbreak  of  imprisoned  reason  exulting  in  the 
overthrow  of  the  doctor  versus  the  straight  jacket. 

The  first  motions  of  the  party  after  the  decision  were  so  vio- 
lent that  I  expected  an  immediate  call  of  the  Legislature  and  a 
new  convention.  Poor  Gregg  took  that  occasion  to  prostrate 
himself  before  Dagon.  He  attended  the  meeting  which  the  set 
called  in  Columbia  and  distinguished  himself  by  heroic  abuse 
of  the  men  who  were  assailed  by  popular  clamor.  Never  tell 
that  story  any  more  about  truth  being  somewhere.  He  has 
gone  where  it  never  was  found  yet.  The  party  in  Charleston 
followed  in  the  wake  of  the  choice  spirits  of  Columbia,  and  deter- 
mined upon  raiding  the  association  and  uttered  many  violent 
things.  Hayne  responded  by  a  proclamation,  thanking  them 
for  their  sweet  voices,  but  declining  to  call  the  Legislature.  For 
this  he  has  been  greatly  praised.  I  believe  it  was  mere  policy 
and  nothing  else.  If  they  had  gone  to  Columbia  there  would 
have  been  some  strange  doings  and,  perhaps,  our  friend,  Pepoon, 
with  his  application  for  the  "guaranty,"  would  have  been 
looked  on  with  something  of  the  feeling  with  which  many  a 
prophet  has  been  regarded,  after  being  laughed  at.  The  4th 
of  July  has  now  passed  and  it  is  evident  that  the  party  is  con- 


James  Louis  Petigru  155 

solidated  for  the  alteration  of  the  Constitution.  The  toasts 
are  distinguished  for  violence  and  vulgarity;  and  some  slang- 
wanger  says  that  Mr.  Jefferson  always  went  a  great  deal  by  the 
July  toasts.  The  only  man  of  the  Nullifiers  in  Charleston  that 
I  have  heard  express  a  disapprobation  of  the  test  is  Magrath. 
He  would  not  attend  the  circus  and  has  not,  1  believe,  taken  any 
part  in  what  is  since  plotted.  But  he  is,  you  know,  sc;  strange 
that  it  does  not  follow  that  he  would  not  go  as  far  as  any  of  them 
for  the  oath  when  he  is  set  agoing;  for  as  far  as  I  can  understand 
him  he  has  always  been  against  everything  in  his  party,  but  some 
abstract  principle  that  few,  I  take  it,  could  comprehend  but 
himself.  They  have  offered  Holmes  honorable  retirement, 
which  I  advise  him  to  accept.  I  don't  wish  any  man  like  Holmes 
to  join  our  party,  I  have  seen  too  much  of  the  company  of  gen- 
tlemen that  can't  sit,  as  Lord  Brougham  says,  on  the  cold  sack 
of  opposition,  to  desire  any  more  of  them  with  us.  In  fact,  it 
is  childish  to  quit  a  party  that  is  in  the  ascendent  in  order  to 
leave  the  power  without  check  or  control  in  the  hands  of  the 
worst  men.  Holmes  is  one  of  the  few  men  whose  heart  has  not 
been  corrupted  nor  his  understanding  altogether  enslaved  by 
the  drill  of  the  association,  and  I  think  he  can  be  more  useful  to 
the  country  in  that  party  than  out  of  it. 

There  is  some  secession  from  the  Nullifiers  on  the  part  of 
certain  office-seekers.  I  believe  Burrell  is  the  leader  of  that 
respectable  interest  in  the  Commonwealth,  but  as  yet  their 
members  are  too  few  to  prom.ise  any  great  help  in  the  election. 
If  any  schism  arises  among  them  it  will  come  from  the  Irish. 
In  their  anxiety  to  keep  up  the  opinion  that  the  Northern  people 
wish  to  get  their  negroes  away  from  them  they  have  been  pub- 
lishing in  the  Mercury  that  these  late  riots  in  New  York  were  no 
test  of  public  opinion,  but  were  got  up  by  the  low  Irish,  who 
were  the  natural  rivals  of  the  negroes.  Two  or  three  more  such 
pieces  in  the  Mercury  would  tell  more  than  a  ream  of  Grimke's 
new  orthography.  These  incautious  expressions,  however, 
will  be  glossed  over,  I  suppose,  and  the  growing  ill-humor  of  Pat 
pacified  before  it  breaks  out  at  the  election.  In  St.  Thomas  I 
believe  Alfred  [Huger]  has  no  chance.  His  health  is  bad,  and 
he  has  no  more  conduct  for  the  management  of  a  parish  than  if 
he  had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  as  policy.  He  was  at  home 
all  the  winter  and  spring,  and  in  the  course  of  that  time  never 
said  or  did  anything  to  gain  a  friend  or  soften  an  adversary,  but 
just  the  reverse.  He  has  gone  to  Virginia  again,  to  which  place 
I  ought  to  have  forwarded  your  letter  to  him,  but  I  sent  it  to 
Pendleton,  believing  he  was  there.  I  am  sorry  to  say  he  is  in  a 
very  bad  way.  His  health  probably  is  nearly  as  bad  as  he  thinks 
it,  and  his  spirits  quite  desperate.  Nor  is  the  Judge  [Huger]  any 
better.  The  ordinance  has  unsettled  him.  He  was  against 
going  to  law  about  the  test  oath,  but  for  fighting.     You  may 


156  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

well  ask  how,  where,  on  what  ground?  Nor  has  anything  hap- 
pened to  me  that  I  have  felt  more  severely  for  a  long  time  than 
the  loss  of  his  confidence;  for  to  such  a  length  did  he  carry  his 
zeal  that  he  has  never  forgotten  our  opposition,  particularly 
mine.  With  every  prospect  of  the  Constitution  being  altered 
the  question  now  occurs,  what  shall  we  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  resident  in  South  Carolina,  do?  Can  we  take  the  oath? 
You  will  see  it  in  one  of  the  newspapers  I  send  you.  You  will 
have  observed  that  Judge  Johnson  has  decided  this  question 
and  I  agree  with  him.  But  Judge  Richardson  will  not  hear  of 
such  a  thing.  He  is  for  giving  out,  at  least,  that  we  will  never 
submit,  and  he  says  that  there  will  be  a  general  emigration  from 
the  back  country  if  the  Constitution  is  altered.  This  puts  one 
in  mind  of  your  colony.  But,  my  dear  soul,  we  are  not  the 
men  to  colonize.  Your  frontier  folk  are  very  unamiable  and, 
as  to  political  rights,  we  should,  in  such  circumstances,  hardly 
feel  disposed  to  exercise  them.  No,  if  you  return  home  go  to 
New  York  if  you  don't  go  on  the  bench;  with  your  advantages 
and  talents  I  should  not  hesitate.  And  there  is  one  thing  pe- 
culiar to  that  city,  there  is  no  jealousy  of  strangers.  Their 
first  places  are  as  free  for  Virginians  as  Yankees,  as  for  the 
descendants  of  the  Dutch.  This  comes  I  suppose  of  people 
feeling  strong.  Jealousy  seems  as  natural  to  weak  States  as 
to  feeble  men.  Now,  I  don't  suppose  any  qualifications  or  merit 
would  excuse  the  presumption  of  a  stranger  intruding  into  Dela- 
ware to  compete  with  the  natives.  You  know  they  have  an 
executor's  law  there  giving  priority  to  Delaware  debts,  as  being 
all  specialties  in  comparison  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 

Judge  how  gaily  time  must  pass  from  what  I  have  told  you. 

It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  though  that  box — that  valued 
box — has  been  in  my  cellar  a  month,  I  never  have  been  able  to 
find  a  friend  to  taste  it  with  me,  and  considering  it  a  sacrilege 
to  drink  such  wine  alone,  it  remains  like  something  sacred  with 
the  seal  unbroken.  I  send  you  my  Fourth  of  July  speech. 
Pray,  don't  laugh  at  the  pious  defence  of  our  planetary  system, 
which  custom  has  made  so  reverend.  Think  of  your  own  case 
and  be  careful  of  quizzing  people  that  may  have  things  to  tell. 
I  send  you  Berrien's  too.  I  could  not  help  laughing  to  see  that 
we  both  ended  with  LaFayette,  and  I  dare  swear  that  the  same 
peroration,  or  something  like  it,  has  gone  the  rounds  from 
Georgia  to  Passamaquoddy.  Your  mother  is  at  present  on  the 
Island.  The  heats  have  been  excessive.  Thermometer  at  92 
— now  the  city  is  flowing  with  rain.  If  Cruger  comes  your  way 
make  me  remembered  to  him  and  let  him  know  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Hamilton,  is  on  the  Island  and  very  well.  Adieu,  my  dear 
Legare,  and  believe  me  always  and  altogether  yours. 

The  national  politics  are  all  embroiled  to  that  degree  that 
they  are  scarcely  "interesting.  Mr.  Chevalier  had  some  good 
ideas.     I  had  him  printed  in  the  Courier. 


James  Louis  Petigru  157 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

August-December,  1834 

Closing  Scenes  in  the  Drama  of  Nullification;  Pacifica- 
tion   BETWEEN  NULLIFIERS  AND  WhIGS  BrOUGHT  AbOUT  BV 

Hamilton  and  Petigru 

to  william  drayton 

Charleston,  12  Aug.,  1834. 
My  dear  Sir. 

I  received  your  letter  of  the  22d  ult.  which  I  read  with  the 
pleasure  and  attention  that  your  advice  is  always  received  with. 
Your  yie^ys  respecting  the  Test  oath  and  the  alteration  of  the 
Constitution  are  so  entirely  the  pattern  of  my  own  thoughts 
on  the  subject  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  as  far  as  my  influence 
goes  of  the  course  of  the  Union  party  in  relation  to  those  sub- 
jects, and  at  first  I  was  of  the  opinion  there  would  be  no  diffi- 
culty in  moderating  the  zeal  of  our  friends  to  that  standard. 
But  I  am  sorry  to  find  a  great  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  of 
them  to  carry  their  opposition  to  the  alteration  of  the  Constitu- 
tion as  far  as  to  the  Test  oath.  Judge  Richardson  is  the  most 
conspicuous  that  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of  conferring  with 
from  the  back  country,  and  he  is  very  disinclined  to  construe 
the  amendment  of  the  Constitution  innocently.  We  have  had 
several  interviews  about  it  and  I  have  promised  not  to  promul- 
gate my  notions  till  the  election  is  over,  and  he  has  promised  to 
consider  the  subject.  I  saw  a  letter  from  Blanding  which  was 
very  strong  in  the  same  view  of  things,  that  Judge  R.  takes  and 
I  am  afraid  that  it  is  the  prevalent  way  of  thinking  in  the  back 
country  among  the  Union  men.  Yet  I  hope  they  may  be  tran- 
quillized between  this  and  the  close  of  the  Legislature.  There 
seems  to  be  no  chance  of  defeating  the  alteration  of  the  Con- 
stitution. Our  friend  Holmes  who  is  the  onlv  gentleman  in 
their  party  that  has  broken  ground  against  the  oath  is  likely  to 
be  put  out  of  the  pale.  Your  surprise  at  the  part  that  Hamil- 
ton has  enacted  was  not  greater  than  mine.  I  confess  I  was 
most  painfully  sensible  of  those  qualities,  which  enter  into  our 
ideas  of  an  agitator,  a  man  born  to  disturb  the  peace  of  society, 
when  I  conversed  with  him  after  the  decision  of  the  Judges, 
when  he  was  about  to  rally  his  men  again  and  reestablish  the 
States  Rights  associations.  The  Mercury  of  this  morning  con- 
tains an  editorial  which  I  do  not  think  came  from  Stuart  and  is 


158  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

marked  by  a  greater  degree  of  moderation  than  anything  that 
has  appeared  in  that  print  for  years.  I  am  sensible  that  we 
must  be  confounded  with  the  indiscriminate  supporters  of  the 
President.  Indeed  many  of  the  party  in  the  back  country  are 
such.  But  considering  the  grounds  we  occupy  in  the  contro- 
versy with  the  nullifiers  it  seems  to  me  inevitable  that  we  must 
support  the  President  generally.  We  have  just  heard  this 
morning  of  the  death  of  Judge  [William]  Johnson  and  of  course 
people  are  speculating  about  his  successor.*  Some  of  the  law- 
yers would  fain  make  me  believe  that  I  am  likely  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  President:  of  this  however  I  have  no  notion — 
but  if  you  are  willing  to  return  to  Carolina  I  think  that  all  par- 
ties would  unite  in  wishing  you  to  do  so,  and  accept  the  office. 
You  or  Mr.  Legare,  if  you  are  out  of  the  way,  ought  to  be  the 
choice  of  Carolina  as  I  think.  What  may  be  in  agitation  in 
Georgia  I  do  not  know — but  it  is  presumable  the  appointment 
will  be  made  there  unless  you  are  the  Judge. 

The  general  opinion  in  the  City  is  that  the  Judges  of  the  Court 
of  Appeals  O'Neil  and  Johnson  will  not  be  molested.  That 
Hayne  will  be  placed  on  the  Bench  with  a  fifth  Judge,  who  is  to 
be  Dunkin.  We  have  resolved  on  running  a  ticket  for  Inten- 
dant  and  Wardens.  There  is  some  sedition  in  their  ranks. 
And  the  mercenaries  are  making  us  offers  every  day — but  our 
party  has  resolved  not  to  buy  votes — and  in  so  doing  we  resolve 
of  course  to  give  up  the  best,  perhaps  only  chance,  of  carrying 
the  election.  The  dissidents  are  such  men  as  Prendergrass — 
Bunell  the  Shoemaker,  Robinson  who  was  an  auctioneer,  Dursee 
who  was  formerly  on  the  guard.  The  only  thing  I  can  observe 
in  it  is  that  there  is  less  fanaticism  among  the  mob  about  State 
rights.  These  men  are  perfectly  rational  and  put  the  contro- 
versy on  grounds  that  satisfy  any  utilitarian  of  willingness  to 
make  interest  their  polar  stars.  The  practice  of  bribery  is  very 
tempting  to  those  who  give  as  well  as  to  the  recipients.  If  it 
was  not  so  expensive  I  have  no  doubt  it  would  become  universal. 
I  hope  you  got  the  copy  of  my  oration  which  I  sent  you. 

Yours  truly, 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  September  16,  1834. 
My  dear  Legare: 

I  received  yesterday  your  letter  of  12th  July,  and  read  it  with 
intense  interest.  I  begin  to  think,  after  the  third  reading,  that 
I  know  more  about  St.  Stephen's  chapel  than  if  I  had  seen  it 
with  my  own  eyes,  and  congratulate  myself  more  than  once  of 


*Judge  Johnson  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  a  staunch  Union  man,  died  in 
Brooklyn. 


James  Louis  Petigru  159 

my  good  fortune  that  enables  me  to  look  at  objects  of  so  much 
curiosity  which  your  letters,  like  magnifying  glass,  represent  as 
clearly  as  it  they  were  close  at  hand.  Only  one  thing,  my  dear 
Legare,  discredits  your  judgment,  and  that  is  the  over-estimate 
you  put  on  your  poor  friend's  parts.  Heaven  has  given  me  no 
more  wit  than  just  enough  to  feel  and  appreciate  the  works  of 
genius  with(jut  any  capacity  for  execution.  I  read  somewhere 
the  other  day  a  remark  that  coincides  with  your  account  of  the 
House  of  Commons,  that  it  is  an  assembly  not  very  strong  in 
orators,  but  vastly  formidable  as  an  audience.  I  admire  your 
discrimination  between  the  speeches  in  the  House  and  the 
boasted  reports  in  the  newspaper.  But  it  is  not  that  part  of 
the  orator's  art  as  separate  from  the  writer's.  The  printed 
drama  does  not  inform  you  what  sort  of  an  actor  it  was  that 
played  the  part.  If  it  could  there  would  be  no  use  in  seeing  the 
play.  The  difference  between  Parliament  and  Congress,  which 
seems  to  be  in  the  audience  more  than  in  the  speakers,  is,  never- 
theless, a  most  important  one.  And  I  fear  that  in  America  we 
shall  find  it  a  great  desideratum,  the  absence  of  silent  members 
which,  like  the  sturdy  yeomanry,  are  a  class  that  neither  Kings 
nor  schoolmasters  can  supply  and  without  whom  the  tinsel  of 
rank  or  rhetoric  is  equally  useless.  But  I  am  sorry  to  see  that 
the  tone  of  your  last  letters  is  decidedly  less  cheerful  than  for- 
merly. I  hope  the  re  infecta  has  not  brought  you  to  Solomon's 
conviction  that  all  is  vanity;  and  that  the  restoration  of  your 
health  will  be  attended  with  better  spirits  than  the  royal  jew, 
with  all  his  means  for  enduring  the  burden  of  life,  could  boast  of. 
As  to  your  coming  home,  I've  told  you  already  in  a  letter  I  wrote 
in  July  (for,  sluggard  that  I  am  I  passed  the  month  of  August  in 
such  a  drowsy  condition  that  I  wrote  nothing  and  did  nothing, 
and  so  my  July  letter  is  my  last,)  I  say  I  wrote  you  in  July  that 
as  Judge  Johnson  was  gone  and  you  were  the  only  one  I  knew 
that  was  fit  to  fill  the  place,  for  which  God  knows  how  little  he 
was  fit,  I  wished  you  were  at  home  or  had  some  friend  near  the 
old  man  to  nominate  you.  Mr.  Pringle  and  Mr.  Poinsett,  with- 
out consulting  me  any  further  than  to  inquire  in  a  roundabout 
way  what  T  thought  of  such  a  Judgeship,  have  written  to  some 
one,  I  believe  to  the  President  himself,  to  let  him  know  that  they 
think  me  cut  out  (as  they  say)  for  a  Judge.  Wayne,  of  Georgia, 
as  I  have  heard  from  Mr.  Bullock,  has  written  a  letter  to  recom- 
mend Col.  Drayton.*  I  wrote  to  Col.  Drayton  also  and  told 
him,  what  is  really  true,  that  if  he  were  nominated  it  would  give 
everybody  pleasure  and  me  particularly.  I  would  rather  you 
or  he  were  appointed  than  myself,  and  after  you  two  I  would 
have  very  great  objections  to  anybody  else. 

As  to  me,  it  is  out  of  the  question.     I  don't  think  it  is  the  will 

*Wayne,  of  Georgia,  was  appointed. 


160  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  God,  and  have  certain  information  that  it  is  not  Van  Buren's. 
For  he  told  Tom  Condy,  or  somebody  in  Tom's  hearing,  that  I 
made  a  very  unfavorable  impression  upon  the  people  at  the 
North  last  summer,  which,  to  give  the  devil  his  due,  was  very 
plain  spoken  of  Master  Van,  and  makes  me  think  him  a  much 
more  open  fellow  than  he  has  credit  for  being.  My  practice 
brings  me  about  six  thousand  dollars  a  year  in  these  bad  times, 
and  after  all  the  dignity  of  the  Bench  is  not  equal  to  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  a  year,  which  is  the  difference  between 
income  and  honor.  One  who  could  write  like  Sir  William  Scott, 
or  draw  conclusions  like  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  and  only  such  a 
one,  would  in  fact,  after  the  first  congratulations  were  over,  find 
that  he  had  any  accession  of  credit  or  influence  by  holding  Uncle 
Sam's  commission.  So  that  you  see,  my  dear  Legare,  that  in 
giving  way  to  you  I  am  not  enacting  a  great  part;  like  the  friend 
who  resigns  a  mistress  that  he  loves,  and  if  you  would  ever 
return  to  Charleston,  this  is,  I  think,  the  only  way  it  would  suit 
you  to  return.  I'm  afraid  you  would  find  the  Bar  as  disgusting 
as  Cheves  and  Drayton  found  it  when  they  revisited  the  haunts 
of  their  youth,  and  the  fury  of  party  is  such  that  you  would  be 
in  all  probability  excluded  effectually  from  everything  else 
except  the  Bible  Society. 

We  made  a  rally  at  the  last  election  for  intendant  and  wardens, 
and  showed  a  front  of  so  imposing  a  kind  that  the  NuUifiers 
laid  out  about  fifteen  hundred  dollars  on  the  election,  and  beat 
us  240  votes.  We  are  now  concocting  a  ticket  for  member  of 
Congress,  members  of  the  House  and  Senate.  It  is  not  so  easy 
to  find  candidates  when  there  is  no  chance  of  winning,  and  I  fear 
we  shall  be  sadly  put  to  it  for  a  Congressman.  The  others  we 
can  impress  into  the  service,  as  it  is  a  parish  business,  which, 
like  riding  patrol,  must  be  taken  in  turn.  Poor  Pinckney,  the 
present  incumbent,  has  totally  exploded.     *     *     * 

There  seems  to  be  no  sort  of  chance  of  rousing  the  dormant 
sense  of  justice  among  our  people  and  the  elections,  which  will 
turn  on  the  alteration  of  the  Constitution,  will  no  doubt  show 
an  overwhelming  majority  in  favor  of  the  test  oath.  For  though 
the  alteration  of  the  Constitution  really  amounts  to  nothing 
but  an  insult  on  us,  it  is  voted  for  and  supported  by  those,  and 
I  believe  those  only,  who  go  the  whole  length  of  justifying  the 
exclusion  of  every  man  from  civil  priviliges  that  will  not  swear 
"that  Nullification  is  the  rightful  remedy."  The  equivocation 
to  which  the  word  "allegiance"  helps  them  is  agreeable  to  cer- 
tain leaders  only,  viz:  Hamilton  and  Hayne.  I  have  reason  to 
believe  that  Hayne  gives  himself  credit  for  this  stroke  of  policy. 
The  rabble  of  gentlemen  and  fools  were  intent  on  going  forward; 
something  was  to  be  done  to  satisfy  the  spirit  of  reform  and  this 
was  Hayne's  scheme  to  keep  on  the  windy  side  of  the  law  and  on 
the  blind  side  of  Demos. 


James  Louis  Petigru  161 

Against  their  wishes  the  House  stuck  the  new  oath  into  the 
military  bill,  tor  they  were  so  delighted  with  it  as  a  test  oath  that 
they  could  not  wait,  but  would  swallow  it  raw.  That  gave  us 
a  fair  opportunity  of  bringing  their  ordinance  to  a  judicial  scru- 
tiny. But  when  the  Constitution  shall  have  been  altered  we 
can  not  make  it  appear  judicially  that  it  is  unlawful  to  swear 
allegiance  to  the  State,  merely  because  among  the  Acts  of  the 
Nullifiers  there  is  a  chapter  about  it  which  contains  falsehoods 
and  errors.  However  plain  this  may  be,  certain  it  is  that  on  one 
side  they  vote  for  the  amendment  of  the  Constitution  because 
they  mean  by  doing  so  to  declare  their  faith  in  the  spurious 
chapter,  and  it  is  opposed  on  the  other  side  as  if  they  were  voting 
upon  the  ordinance  itself.  I  understand  that  Calhoun  is  with 
the  mob  thoroughly  on  this  question,  and  wished  to  have  his 
last  revelation  incorporated  in  the  Constitution,  which  is  a  new 
instance  of  the  close  connection  between  imposture  and  delusion. 
I  do  not  know  any  but  two  instances  of  decided  opposition  to  the 
oath  by  Nullifiers — Holmes  and  Magrath.  By  the  way,  the 
latter  has  just  left  me,  having  come  in  and  kept  me  back  on  this 
letter  at  least  one  hour.  It  is  to  be  seen  how  far  this  opposition 
may  grow  into  a  schism,  but  there  is  not  at  present  any  immedi- 
ate prospect  of  hope  to  our  party.  Ah!  if  we  had  a  really  elo- 
quent man  to  state  our  case  it  might  make  a  difference. 

But  we  have  other  griefs.  The  cholera  has  broken  out  with 
great  violence  in  Savannah  River — 250  negroes  have  died 
already.  It  began  at  Wightman's  twelve  miles  above  the  town. 
There  was  no  infection  nearer  than  New  York  when  the  fiend  at 
one  bound  lighted  on  the  premises  of  our  reservoir  agriculturist. 
(It  is  the  place  that  was  Gen.  Read's,  and  which  was  swallowed 
up  by  the  old  Mammon  in  double  bank  discounts  and  accommo- 
dations.) It  appeared  on  my  plantation  last  Friday,  the  12th, 
and  I  have  lost  one  negro  certainly,  how  many  more  I  can't  say, 
as  I  have  not  heard  since.  It  is  making  great  havoc  on  all  the 
plantations.  Hamilton,  who  has  gone  there,  writes  me  that  the 
negroes  are  sometimes  brought  in  without  any  premonitory 
symptoms  in  the  first  stage  of  spasm,  and  then  there  is  scarce 
one  cure  in  ten.  But  hitherto  the  deaths  have  generally  been 
one  in  three.  It  is  highly  probable  it  will  ruin  me;  that  is,  com- 
pel me  to  sell  the  plantation  and  what  is  left  of  the  negroes  to  pay 
for  the  residue  of  the  purchase.  As  yet  it  is  confined  to  the 
negroes,  as  if,  like  the  yaws,  it  was  an  African  disease  and  it  has 
not  got  northward  of  Savannah  River,  but  it  has  spread  to  Ogee- 
chee.  There  is  said  to  be  yellow  fever  in  the  city,  but  all  our 
cares  are  absorbed  by  the  cholera  so  much  that  even  the  exis- 
tence of  yellow  fever  is  left  doubtful.  I  must  leave  off  to  save 
the  mail,  for  it  is  more  expeditious  to  write  by  the  Havre  packet. 
Mrs.  Pringle  was  so  much  delighted  *  *  *  [Rest  of  letter  lost.) 


162  Life  J  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  October  26,  1834. 
My  dear  Legare: 

We  have  lost  poor  Grimke.*  The  news  of  his  death  reached 
us  last  Thursday.  He  died  near  Columbus,  in  the  State  of 
Ohio.  He  had  gone  there  to  deliver  a  temperance  oration  and 
died  of  cholera  after  twelve  hours'  illness.  There  has  not  been 
in  my  time  so  general  an  expression  of  sorrow  for  the  death  of  an 
individual.  Every  one  seems  to  feel  that  such  as  he  was  our 
society  contains  no  other  like  him.  Was  not  his  death  in  perfect 
character  with  his  life.''  To  go  all  the  way  to  Ohio  to  die  of 
cholera  in  the  recommendation  of  temperance.  The  moist  eyes 
and  the  sobs  of  the  speakers  at  the  meeting  of  the  Bar  yesterday 
were  the  most  affecting  testimony  of  his  worth. 

We  have  had  other  causes  to  grieve.  The  elections  have 
given  the  Nullifiers  two-thirds  in  both  houses  and  the  alteration 
of  the  Constitution  may  be  considered  cetain.  We  made  great 
efforts  and  rallied  the  whole  of  our  party,  but  the  majority 
retained  an  unbroken  phalanx.  The  only  considerable  men 
who  openly  dissented  were  Holmes  and  Magrath,  and  they  were 
neutral.  It  is  to  that  neutrality  that  I  was  indebted  for  so  large 
a  vote — within  60  of  elected.  The  Irish  nation  have  never  for- 
gotten that  you  and  I  backed  them  some  seven  years  ago  against 
the  Corporation  and  Test  Acts,  and  it  is  only  wonderful  that 
they  did  not  openly  rebel  at  this  time.  I  believe  they  wait  till 
the  test  oath  is  really  established  and  reserve  their  alliance  for 
the  time  when  we  are  to  have  the  law  against  us;  then  their 
fellow  feeling,  I  suppose,  will  show  itself  distinctly.  The  major- 
ity is  diminished  everywhere,  except  in  the  rotten  burroughs, 
and  Rogers,  of  York,  has  beat  Clowney,  the  sitting  member,  in 
the  House  of  Representatives.  In  the  next  Congress  we  have 
two,  Manning  and  Rogers.  But  Perry  has  failed  in  the  contest 
with  Davis  by  seventy  votes.  The  Union  party  have  also 
carried  York  in  the  election  of  members  of  the  House,  but  the 
Senator,  Sitgreaves,  holds  his  seat  for  two  years  to  come. 
There  was  a  sort  of  explosion  here  on  the  first  night  of  the  elec- 
tion, which  was  near  bringing  on  a  crisis.  The  Nullifiers  went 
in  a  body  of  three  or  four  hundred  to  attack  our  quarters  on  the 
Neck.  They  had  the  night  before  broken  into  a  house  of  ours 
in  Queen  street,  demolished  the  windows  and  beat  some  of  the 
people.  The  Union  men  were  smarting  under  this  insult,  when 
the  Nullies  were  instigated  by  their  arrogance  to  repeat  it;  and 
the  consequence  was  they  were  fired  on  and  six  of  them  wounded 
with  duck  shot.  Upon  this  they  fled  pell  mell  and  crowded  to 
the  Citadel  to  demand  arms.  Luckily,  Parker  refused  them. 
Hayne  and  Hamilton  came,  and  as  members  of  the  party  excused 

*Thomas  S.  Grimk6  died  while  on  a  visit  to  his  brother  in  Ohio. 


"James  Louis  Petigru  163 

themselves  from  leading  them  to  the  attack.  Hayne,  to  amuse 
them,  moved  that  a  suhscription  should  he  opened  for  the  fami- 
lies of  the  wounded;  told  them  il  they  doubted  his  courage  to  ask 
Hamilton,  whom  no  one  could  doubt,  and  Hamilton  persuaded 
them  to  wait  till  he  had  got  the  law  on  their  side;  with  the  prom- 
ise of  leading  them  to  victory  and  revenge.  He  sent  a  flag  to 
Dr.  Dickson,  who  was  the  most  prominent  gentleman  in  our 
garrison,  and  concluded  a  treaty.  Dicksf)n  agreed  to  give  bail 
in  two  hundred  dollars  for  shooting  into  the  people  and  both 
parties  dispersed.  I  did  not  get  there  till  the  cartel  was  received 
and  Dickson  had  gone  to  treat.  The  house  stands  near  the  lines, 
and  was  indeed  a  very  defensible  piece,  and  I  assure  you  I  found 
there  about  fifty  of  our  men  in  excellent  stomach  for  a  fight. 
Had  the  Nullifiers  renewed  the  attack  there  would  have  been  a 
great  deal  of  bloodshed. 

It  is  my  impression  that  the  Union  men  are  now  more  excited 
than  the  Nullifiers.  These  are  now  disposed  to  moderate  their 
tone,  and  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  will  do  anything  more  than 
alter  the  Constitution.  But  I  apprehend  great  difficulty  in 
satisfying  the  Union  party  with  so  much.  Any  one  that  advised 
them  to  take  the  oath  will  be  considered  no  longer  a  true  man. 
You  know  my  notions  about  this  and  that  I  don't  think  the  alter- 
ation of  the  Constitution,  per  se,  a  cause  for  extremities.  But  I 
find  it  very  difficult  to  induce  even  my  friends  to  think  so.  I 
am  afraid  we  shall  have  to  call  our  Union  Convention  again  and 
afraid  of  what  the  Convention  may  do. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Union  party  in  Georgia  has  gained  a 
most  decisive  victory.  Every  man  on  the  Nullification  ticket 
for  Congress,  even  Wilde  and  Gilmer,  who  eschew  the  obnoxious 
title,  and  content  themselves  with  being  called  States'  rights 
men,  left  out,  and  in  the  Legislature  a  majority  of  nearly  two- 
thirds  of  Union  men. 

This  clips  the  wings  of  Calhoun's  ambition  and  is  a  bitter  pill 
to  our  gentry.  In  fact  the  Georgia  election  turned  on  Carolina 
politics  altogether,  and  the  test  oath  was  a  leading  topic  in  the 
controversy.  They  have  managed  very  warily  to  keep  clear  of 
the  law,  but  they  have  certainly  been  put  to  disgrace,  first,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  Court  against  them  on  the  ordinance,  and 
secondly,  in  the  odium  which  their  equivocating  conduct  has 
brought  upon  them  in  Georgia.  The  name  of  test  oath  will 
stick  by  them  even  if  they  pare  away  the  amendment  of  the 
Constitution  to  nothing. 

Mr.  Bacot  is  dead.  It  is  supposed  that  Alfred  Huger  will 
succeed  him,  and  I  hope  he  may.  He  has  been  in  Virginia  all 
the  summer  and  recovered  his  health.  We  put  him  up  tor  Con- 
gress, and  Pinckney  has  beaten  him  not  more  than  200  votes. 
It  appears  that  the  elections  do  not  very  materially  affect  the  con- 
stitution of  the  two  houses  of  Congress.     But  the  change  in  the 


164  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

Senate  will  be  in  the  old  man's  favor.  We  have  heard  nothing 
yet  of  the  successor  of  Judge  Johnson.  I  wish  you  were  here, 
for  I  really  would  rather  you  were  in  the  place  than  any  one  else. 
If  it  is  offered  to  me  I  ought  to  refuse  it  for  reasons  too  many  to 
need  mentioning,  but  I  should  not  probably  have  the  wit  to  do 
so.  In  fact,  however,  there  is  no  probability  of  it.  People  who 
have  been  to  the  North  say  that  Taney  will  be  the  man,  and  in 
good  earnest  if  I  were  the  President  I  should  appoint  him,  in 
spite  of  the  Senate.  The  circumstance  that  he  lives  out  of  the 
circuit  is  not  in  fact  a  reason  that  is  not  conclusive,  but  it  would 
be  a  plausible  topic  for  the  Whigs  and  Nullifiers.  If  he  is  not 
appointed  either  Wayne  or  Schley  or  some  other  Georgian  is 
likely  to  be  selected.  Our  friend.  Col.  Drayton,  would  like  it, 
but  he  has  been  so  condemnatory  in  his  language  respecting  the 
President's  removals  of  the  deposits  that  he  is  probably  as  much 
out  of  the  question  as  Berrien  or  Wilde. 

We  have  had  a  long  and  dull  summer,  and  have  got  a  poor 
cotton  crop  and  a  rice  crop  abridged  most  sadly  by  storm  and 
cholera.  This  baleful  visitation  has  disappeared  for  the  present. 
There  are  probably  near  1,000  negroes  less  on  Savannah  and 
Ogeechee  since  the  1st  of  September,  when  it  showed  itself  at 
Wightman's  plantation.  It  is  singular  that  it  did  not  ascend 
the  river  at  all.  It  broke  out  at  Wightman's  and  took  all  the 
plantations  below,  and  spread  to  the  south,  as  far  as  Ogeechee, 
but  it  touched  none  of  those  above.  Though  it  went  through 
my  people,  and  we  had  no  work  done  from  the  12th  September 
to  1st  October,  and  generally  ten  to  twelve  down  of  a  day,  I  lost 
but  three,  which  was  about  1]/^  per  cent.  The  loss  on  the  other 
plantations  where  it  prevailed  was  generally  from  16  to  20  per 
cent.  Though  I  have  great  reason  to  rejoice  in  getting  off  so 
well,  still  I  am  a  great  loser.  Everything  backward,  and  much 
further  expense. 

Our  friend  Henry  North  has  written  a  book,  and  been  at  the 
North  all  the  summer  publishing  it.  I  understand  it  is  a  collec- 
tion of  tales,  and  judging  of  our  friend's  view  of  narrative,  by 
what  he  does  in  conversation,  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be  charac- 
teristic  and   sprightly. 

Adieu.     Yours  in  all  time. 

Your  last  letter  was  12th  July  and  I  received  it  in  September. 

TO   WILLIAM   DRAYTON 

Charleston,  28  November,  1834. 
My  dear  Col.  Drayton: 

The  elections  have  passed  and  the  cooling  time  between  the 
electioneering  and  the  meeting  of  the  Legislature  and  I  suppose 
you  know  all  that  was  done  and  suffered  by  us.     The  nullifiers 


Jaines  Louis  Petigru  165 

have  an  overwhelming  majority  in  both  branches,  tho*  the  vote 

of  the  Union  party  is  stronger  than  it  was  in  the  Districts  where 

they  were  considerable  enough  to  contend.     I  wish  it  was  as  easy 

to  do,  as  to  find  out  what  is  right — or  what  one  thinks  right. 

My  sentiments  respecting  the  oath  are  precisely  yours.     The 

Military  Hill  I  could  not  compromise  with,  because  it  seemed  to 

me  not  to  admit  a  doubt  that  the  oath  in  that  bill  was  passed  in 

pursuance  of  the  ordinance — and  believing  the  ordinance  void  I 

could  not  but  hold  the  oath  unlawful.     Now  I  would  take  the 

view  you  do  of  the  amendment  of  the  Constitution.     But  I  can 

find  nobody  to  agree  with  me  scarcely.     The  leading  members 

of  our  party  except  Mr.  Poinsett,  will  hear  no  explanation.     On 

the  other  hand,  the  fanatical  and  hypocritical  parties  among  our 

adversaries,  are  equally  bent  on  the  amendment — and  from  the 

temper  of  the  times  it  seems  impossible  to  foresee  the  issue. 

The  Mountaineers  are  certainly  as  violent  against  the  Nullifiers, 

as  the  Nullifiers  are  against  them.     I'm  going  to  Columbia  with 

the  hope  of  making  peace  if  I  can — or  preserving  it.     There  are, 

however,  many  causes  of  irritation  increasing  daily.     It  is  said 

that  Mr.  McCord  takes  the  lead — and  urges  the  abolition  of  the 

Court  of  Appeals.     If  he  was  really  leading  there  would  be  some 

hope,  for  as  he  is  a  feeble  man,  his  violence  would  soon  bring  on 

what  they  call  indirect  debility.     But  I  am  afraid,  that  Hayne 

or  Hamilton  are  only  in  the  rear  of  him  because  they  have  more 

sense;  and  know  how  to  satisfy  their  moderate  friends  with  words 

and  their  violent  ones  with  assurances  more  to  the  purpose. 

I  am  aware  that  we  have  no  chance  of  standing  well  with  the 
large  and  respectable  class  that  honor  Gen.  Jackson  "Short  of 
idolatry."  But  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  break  ground  on  Presi- 
dential topics.  The  Gen.  is  against  the  Nullifiers  who  are  ene- 
mies that  we  regard  as  the  worst  and  hatefullest  of  their  kind. 
Unless  we  can  act  with  the  Nullifiers  we  must  support  the  Presi- 
dent— negatively  at  least.  The  attraction  between  ourselves 
and  the  Union  party  of  Georgia  also  is  very  strong  and  they  are 
thorough  Jacksonians.  The  Union  party  here  have  certainly 
exhibited  no  subserviency  to  the  President,  for  there  has  been 
very  little  said  or  written  by  us  in  his  praise — since  the  era  of  the 
proclamation  was  at  an  end,  and  that  of  the  Despots  began. 
In  fact  we  do  not  stand  very  high  at  Court,  and  it  seems  ques- 
tionable whether  A.  Huger  whom  we  recommended  will  get  the 
Charleston   Post  office. 

Yours  truly. 

In  regard  to  the  Supreme  Court,  the  rumor  and  pretty  confi- 
dent opinion  is  that  Mr.  Wayne  is  to  have  the  place. 


166  I^iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO   HUGH   S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  November  29,  1834. 
My  dear  Legare: 

Here  we  are  in  hot  water  knee  deep;  God  grant  we  may  not  be 
knee  deep  in  blood  before  long.  The  Legislature  met  on  Mon- 
day and  it  is  probable  that  the  amendment  of  the  Constitution 
is  already  passed  through  the  House  by  an  extraordinary  dis- 
patch. They  have  written  and  sent  for  me  to  go  to  Columbia 
to  consult  with  our  Union  friends,  who  are  running  wild.  I  fear 
me,  there  is  no  chance  to  persuade  them  to  take  the  oath.  If 
they  will  not,  agitation  ensues,  but  they  don't  know  how  to 
agitate.  Agitation  consists  in  opposing  governments  and  keep- 
ing within  the  law.  Now,  from  all  I  can  gather  of  public  senti- 
ment, our  friends  intend  to  transcend  the  law.  I  believe  I  will 
go,  but  I  don't  believe  I'll  do  any  good,  and  what  will  be  done  is 
hard  to  foresee.  If  the  Legislature  would  adopt  a  resolution 
declaring  as  the  sense  of  the  Legislature  that  the  Constitution 
as  amended  leaves  the  question  of  dividing  allegiance  to  the 
judgment  and  conscience  of  every  man  who  may  be  called  on  to 
take  the  oath  that  I  think  I  could  persuade  a  great  majority  of 
our  people  to  take  it.  But  of  this  I  have  no  hope,  for  in  fact  a 
great  number  of  the  Nullifiers,  much  the  greater  part  of  them, 
desire  to  make  it  stronger,  and  the  omission  of  words  that  would 
give  it  meaning  arises  not  from  a  respect  to  the  Federal  Consti- 
tution, but  from  policy.  On  the  other  hand,  the  opposition  of 
the  Union  party  proceeds  more  from  passion  than  reason.  It 
is  because  the  cup  is  tendered  by  an  enemy  that  they  swear  it 
contains  poison.  Is  it  not  a  painful  dilemma  for  the  lovers  of 
peace,  the  friends  of  order,  to  be  placed  in.^  There  is  no  man 
among  the  Nullifiers  that  I  have  the  least  influence  with.  Gregg 
has  humbled  himself  to  crawl  into  place;  a  pitiful  place  when 
held  by  such  a  sacrifice  of  personal  independence.  Edmund 
Martin  is  too  stupid  to  see  clearly  the  objection  to  the  amend- 
ment, and  I  don't  know  anybody  else  in  the  Senate  that  is  worth 
thinking  of. 

The  influence  of  [William  C]  Preston  has  been  exerted  to  pre- 
vent any  assault  on  the  judiciary.  How  far  he  has  succeeded 
God  only  knows.  Arthur  Hayne  has  returned.  I'm  afraid  he 
can  be  of  no  use,  if  he  is  willing.  Whether  he  is  willing  I  don't 
know,  having  seen  him  only  once.  Congress  meets  on  Monday. 
The  old  man  has  received  an  accession  of  strength  by  the  recent 
elections.  His  friends  were  lately  sanguine  of  a  majority  in  the 
Senate.  They  are  probably  mistaken.  The  election  of  an 
Anti-Jackson  Governor  in  North  Carolina  is  ominous  of  the 
loss  of  a  Senator  there.  But  in  Mississippi,  New  Hampshire, 
New  Jersey,  he  has  defeated  his  Senatorial  adversaries.  No 
appointment  yet  of  postmaster  in  Charleston,  and  none  of  a 


James  Louis  Petigru  167 

Judge  to  fill  poor  Johnson's  seat.  But  everyone  thinks  Wayne 
will  be  the  man,  which  is  as  good  an  appointment  as  Baldwin. 
I  write  shfjrt  because  I  am  hurried.  You  will  receive  a  news- 
paper with  Wilde's  letter  to  a  party  who  asked  him  to  dinner, 
which  will,  I  hope,  put  you  in  a  better  humor  after  this  lugubrious 
epistle.     Adieu.     God  bless  and  keep  you, 

Yours, 

TO    HUGH    S.     LEGARE 

Savannah,  December  15,  1834. 
My  dear  Legare: 

All  hail  to  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day.  The  spell  of  party  is 
broken  and  Nullification  in  Carolina  is  no  more  than  a  recollec- 
tion. We  have  compromised  and  buried  the  tomahawk.  Let  me 
run  over  the  history  of  those  few  days  since  I  wrote,  to  prepare 
you  for  my  journey  to  Columbia  to  join  in  a  consultation  with 
our  few  Union  members  about  what  was  to  be  done.  Before 
going  I  asked  the  leading  members  of  our  party  to  meet  and  talk 
the  subject  over.  This  was  done  at  DeSaussure's  and  I  had 
besides  many  outdoor  conversations,  the  result  of  all  of  them  the 
same — resistance  to  the  oath  and  a  Union  Convention  to  pre- 
scribe the  manner  and  means.  As  usual,  my  zeal  was  a  great 
way  in  arrear  compared  with  the  general  temper,  for  the  young 
men  and  many  of  the  old  were  all  for  the  epic  style,  beginning  by 
a  plunge  in  medias  res.  I  went  to  Columbia.  Col.  Chesnut 
took  the  chair  and  I  was  called  on  to  make  them  a  long  speech. 
Professing,  as  I  cordially  did,  that  the  oath  should  be  an  unlaw- 
ful thing  tome  as  long  as  it  offended  the  conscience  of  my  friends; 
that  for  our  people  to  take  it  would  be  breaking  down  the  moral 
sense  and  feeling,  not  only  of  the  party,  but  of  the  country,  and 
that  resistance  to  the  oath  was  to  be  considered  a  settled  thing; 
that  there  were  three  ways  to  resist:  by  the  judiciary,  by  arms 
and  by  political  agitation;  that  the  first  was  inapplicable,  for  no 
judicial  consideration  of  the  oath  could  lead  to  pronounce  it 
illegal,  is  repugnant  to  the  United  States  Constitution,  the  intent 
and  malice  being  cloaked  under  constitutional  language;  that 
the  second  I  deprecated  as  repugnant  to  patriotism,  contrary  to 
Christian  feeling  and  more  than  all,  leading  to  defeat  and  dis- 
grace, and  that  my  voice  was  for  the  third  plan;  that  our  simple 
communication,  that  we  never  would  take  the  oath  would  prove 
of  itself  a  tremendously  strong  measure;  that  they  must  either 
admit  our  members  to  their  seats  without  any  oath,  (which  I 
thought  they  would  have  a  right  to  as  the  amendment  applies 
to  officers  only,  and  a  seat  is  not  an  office,  and  there  is  nothing 
requiring  a  member  to  be  sworn  at  all  except  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States,)  or  a  third  of  the  State  would  be  unrepre- 
sented, and  that  in  this  day  the  attempt  to  carry  on  government 


168  I^iJ^->  Letters  and  Speeches 

without  representation  is  absurd  and  abortive;  that  disaffection 
would  spread  and  the  ruUng  party  be  overturned,  with  great 
changes  on  all  sides;  that  the  members  ought  not  to  secede,  as 
they  talked  of  doing,  but  protest  and  call  a  Union  Convention. 

I  excited  myself  to  the  utmost  to  render  these  views  agreeable 
and  give  them  strength.  There  was  a  long  silence,  followed  by 
several  speeches,  complaining  of  the  "humble  tone"  of  this 
exposition  and  breathing  nothing  but  war.  "My  voice  is  still 
for  war."  I  thought  it  best  not  to  reply,  but  let  men  expend 
their  bile  and  wait  for  cooling  time.  I  learned  at  this  meeting 
that  our  memorials  had  been  very  respectfully  received  the  same 
day  and  referred,  and,  what  was  very  significant,  the  bill  referred 
with  them  and  made  the  order  of  the  day  for  Saturday.  They 
put  me  on  a  committee  to  draw  a  protest  and  adjourned.  This 
was  Tuesday  night.  Wednesday  things  looked  pretty  dark. 
No  interchange  of  visits  or  civilities  among  the  members  and  a 
resolution  introduced  in  Senate  to  take  up  the  bill  next  day, 
instead  of  Saturday.  On  the  next  day  the  bill  was  taken  up 
and  Hamilton  made  a  conciliatory  speech.  Richardson  (J.  P.) 
was  our  spokesman  in  the  Senate,  and  acquitted  himself  very 
handsomely.  (This  is  ex  relatione^  for  having  some  law  business 
and  my  protest  to  write,  I  kept  in  my  chamber.)  But  on  the 
same  afternoon,  Thursday  4th,  David  McCord,  of  all  the  world, 
made  up  to  Richardson,  and  told  him  if  he  would  say  on  what 
terms  or  in  what  sense  he  would  be  willing  to  take  the  oath,  they, 
that  is  David  and  his  friends,  would  meet  them  and  try  to  bring 
about  a  pacification.  Richardson  promised  to  consult  his 
friends.  Our  little  Senate  looked  on  it  when  he  mentioned  it  in 
caucus  as  intended  to  amuse,  but  appointed  a  committee  to  see 
what  could  be  done.  Judge  Lee,  (he  was  holding  the  Court  in 
Columbia,)  Tom  Williams,*  Phillips  and,  I  think,  William  May- 
rant  and  myself  were  appointed.  I  proposed  to  them  this  reso- 
lution as  containing  a  consideration  that  was  consistent  with  the 
oath  and  with  our  duty.  That  the  allegiance  required  by  the 
proposed  alteration  of  the  Constitution  is  the  allegiance  which 
every  citizen  owes  to  the  State  consistently  with  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States. 

It  was  hard  work  to  get  T.  W.  to  concur.  Without  Judge  Lee 
I  should  not  have  succeeded.  W^e  went  back  to  the  caucus  and 
reported  it.  To  enforce  it  was  left  chiefly  to  me,  and  my  best 
argument  was  that  it  was  very  likely  to  be  rejected  by  the  other 
side.  I  called  on  them  to  remark  that  the  opening  of  a  treaty 
by  the  Nullifiers  was  the  happiest  thing  for  us  in  the  world,  for, 
supposing  that  our  terms  were  refused,  we  now  had  the  whole 
controversy  in  the  smallest  compass,  and  could  satisfy  any  man 
in  the  country  by  simply  showing  that  they  required  us  to  swear 


*Thomas  Williams  emigrated  to  Alabama. 


James  Louis  Petigru  169 

to  something  not  consistent  with  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  The  great  difficulty  was  to  induce  them  to  agree  that 
the  oath  was  capable  o\  an  innocent  constructi(jn  at  all.  So  we 
authorized  R.  to  give  McCord  our  ultimatum,  viz:  this  resolu- 
tion, the  abandonment  of  the  treason  bill  and  of  all  assaults  on 
the  judiciary.  Next  day  (Friday,  5th)  the  sky  changed  again. 
Burt — he  is  the  new  member  horn.  Abbeville — the  successful 
rival  of  Wardlaw  at  the  Bar  and  in  public  favor,  had  reported 
his  bill  against  treason  the  day  before;  it  was  now  printed. 
McCord  was  very  shy,  evidently  afraid  to  go  so  far  as  to  advocate 
the  resolution,  and  as  a  substitute  for  it  this  was  offered:  "That 
nothing  in  the  alteration  of  the  Constitution  is  intended  to 
affect  the  relations  between  the  State  and  the  United  States. " 
And  above  all,  the  bill  was  in  the  same  day  here  read  through 
and  received  its  third  reading  in  both  houses,  and  Saturday  was 
fixed  for  its  ratification.  I  then  considered  the  accommodation 
hopeless.  But  as  you  will  observe,  all  this  time  nothing  had 
been  said  with  anybody  by  anybody  but  Richardson  and 
McCord,  and  I  was  told  when  I  came  from  my  business  to  din- 
ner at  Hart's,  (where  we  all  stayed,)  that  Hamilton,  whom  I  had 
not  seen  at  all,  had  called  twice  in  the  course  of  the  day.  Phil- 
lips .and  Chesnut  recommended  me  strongly  to  go  and  see  him — 
and  immediately  after  dinner  I  set  off  for  Clark's.  There  we 
had  one  of  the  most  characteristical  interviews  that  ever  occurred 
to  me. 

I  was  under  strong  excitement  and  had  determined  in  my  own 
mind  not  to  say  a  word  on  the  subject  unless  he  introduced  it. 
So  I  began  with  saying,  "I  suppose  you  want  to  talk  about  Savan- 
nah River  affairs."  "Yes,"  said  he,  "and  other  affairs."  I 
told  him  we  had  come  to  the  brink  of  the  precipice  and  I  believed 
it  impossible  to  avert  the  necessity.  It  quickly  appeared  to  me 
that  he  was  up  to  the  whole  case,  and  saw  the  full  extent  of  the 
consequences  \\  the  Union  party  resisted,  and,  what  was  more 
agreeable,  in  a  few  minutes  I  ceased  to  doubt  his  absolute  and 
unconditional  desire  of  peace.  He  read  me  his  report  on  Fed- 
eral relations,  which  he  had  intended  as  a  peace-maker.  I 
told  him  what  passed  between  McCord  and  Richardson,  and 
found  McCord  had  from  him  the  resolution,  but  he  had  mislaid 
it,  and  when  I  repeated  it  he  again  became  very  doubtful  if 
McCord  was  sure.  Our  conversation  was  a  very  protracted  one 
and  carried  on,  I  assure  you,  with  great  anxiety.  Finally  he 
expressed  himself  satisfied  with  the  terms  of  the  resolution  as 
free  from  the  language  of  controversy,  and  not  calling  on  the 
NuUifiers  for  a  retraction  and  forming  a  consistent  sequel  to  his 
report,  but  the  report  itself,  as  he  assured  me,  was  the  subject 
of  a  vast  deal  of  opposition,  and  if  it  should  get  out  that  the 
sequel  was  adopted  from  the  Union  party  a  rebellion  in  the  ranks 
was  almost  inevitable.     You  mav  be  sure  it  did  not  need  much 


170  l-ijc^  Letters  and  Speeches 

to  convince  me  of  that,  for  nothing  could  be  more  at  variance 
with  the  promises  of  their  gentry  than  to  discard  the  ordinance; 
admit  almost  in  terms  a  divided  allegiance  and  give  up  their 
attack  on  those  Judges  that  had  struck,  down  the  authority  of 
their  Convention.  I  saw  that  the  rank  and  file  was  really  in 
pursuit  of  a  test  oath — and  that  no  man  but  Hamilton  could 
possibly  bring  them  to  bear  the  dose  which  they  were  now  to 
swallow.  All  the  leaders,  however,  as  it  seemed,  were  willing 
to  assist  him,  and  McDuffie,  from  whom  opposition  might  be 
expected,  was  absent.  After  a  very  long  talk  I  left  him  with  the 
assurance  that  he  was  going  to  work  as  hard  now  for  peace  as 
ever  he  did  for  nullification,  at  the  risk  of  dividing  his  party 
forever.  And  so  he  did.  I  made  a  report  to  the  Unionists, 
and  you  have  no  idea  how  much  better  they  liked  the  resolution 
now,  when  they  saw  that  their  adversaries  disliked  it  and  that 
it  required  a  real  sacrifice  on  their  part  to  adopt  it.  It  was 
agreed  that  the  protest,  (a  most  energetic  paper,)  should  be  kept 
back  to  see  the  end  of  the  negotiation.  The  same  night  I  got 
into  the  stage  and  left  Columbia  for  Augusta,  and  did  not  get 
home  till  Monday.  Hamilton  wrote  me  a  letter  every  day. 
At  first  his  plan  was  to  call  a  caucus  of  the  party  on  Monday 
morning,  but  on  viewing  the  ground  he  discovered  so  many 
difficulties  that  he  changed  his  plan  and  thought  it  best  to  rely 
on  private  interviews,  and  belaboring  the  members.  But  on 
Monday  he  was  compelled  once  more  to  change  his  plan,  and  to 
resort  to  the  extreme  measure  of  party  discipline  by  calling  a 
caucus  for  the  extraordinary  hour  of  10  the  next  morning.  This 
was  to  avoid  the  disadvantage  of  contending  with  John  Barley- 
corn, a  most  potent  auxiliary  to  Nullifiers  of  an  afternoon. 
They  remained  in  caucus,  keeping  the  Legislature  waiting  till 
2  p.  M.,  when  the  people  came  to  the  wise  resolution  that  if  their 
leaders  turned  a  sharp  corner  they  would  even  follow  them  and 
ask  no  more  questions. 

As  soon  as  the  caucus  adjourned  the  Speaker  took  the  chair 
and  the  report  of  the  committee  on  Federal  relations  was  immed- 
iately taken  up.  A  man  from  Union,  called  Lancaster,  moved 
an  amendment,  to  the  effect  that,  whatever  it  was,  the  State 
was  sole  judge  of  what  was  due  to  the  United  States  by  any 
citizen  of  the  State.  To  this  resolution  he  rallied  32  votes, 
besides  three  men  who  excused  themselves  for  voting  against  a 
resolution  they  concurred  in,  because  the  caucus  had  decided. 
What  an  apt  illustration  of  Lancaster's  principle — the  caucus 
pro  hac  vice  the  State  had  determined.  The  report  was  then 
put  and  adopted — 90  to  28 — and  Phillips  got  up  and  withdrew 
his  notice  of  a  protest,  and  the  House  resounded  with  applause. 
Then  followed  shaking  of  hands,  warm  congratulation  and  won- 
derment and  rejoicing.  In  the  Senate  the  minority  was  only 
four. 


James  Louis  Petigru  171 

The  papers  I  send  you  and  Hamilton's  last  note  to  me  will 
give  you  a  livelier  idea  of  the  whole  scene  than  if  I  was  U)  write 
on  for  an  hour.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Calhoun  was  the  adviser 
of  pacification. 

If  there  be  any  more  of  this  letter  it  is  lost.  It  is  a  very  im- 
portant one,  as  showing  conclusively  and  in  detail  the  part  which 
Hamilton  and  Petigru  played  in  tempering  the  zeal  of  their 
followers  and  restoring  peace  to  the  State.  Fortunately  there 
existed  between  these  two  leaders  the  most  intimate  friendship, 
and  each,  through  his  influence,  could  control  the  turbulent 
members  of  his  party,  thus  saving  the  country  from  civil  war. 

Mr.  Petigru  was  always  willing  to  join  in  a  joke  at  his  expense 
and  ever  ready,  by  a  clever  stroke  of  wit,  to  do  away  with  all 
rancor  of  opposition;  and  without  abating  any  of  his  own  con- 
victions he  retained  through  life  the  afl^ectionate  regard  of  many 
of  his  most  zealous  political  opponents. 

Here  his  political  career  may  be  said  to  have  ended;  but  he 
always  took  an  active  interest  in  rhe  political  welfare  of  the 
country.  He  served  afterwards  in  the  House  of  Representatives 
at  Columbia,  but  he  was  always  in  a  hopeless  minority  through- 
out the  State.  This  he  would  sometimes  jokingly  explain  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  "his  feelings  were  always  with  the  under 
dog." 

In  reference  to  his  being  appointed  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
his  letters  show  that  he  preferred  the  advancement  of  Mr.  Dray- 
ton or  of  Mr.  Legare.  Having  no  political  following  excluded 
him  from  all  prospects  of  holding  office  under  the  general  Gov- 
ernment. Georgia  at  that  time  being  in  high  favor  with  Jack- 
son, Judge  Wayne,  a  popular  member  of  Congress,  was  appoin- 
ted. 


1 72  -^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XIX 

1835 

Tribute  to  Chief  Justice  Marshall;  Visits  New  York; 
Removes  Daughter,  Caroline,  from  School;  Death  of 
his  Brother,  Charles;  Genealogy;  Administration  of 
Plantation 

After  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Marshall,  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Charleston  Bar,  in  July,  1835,  Mr.  Petigru  delivered  a 
most  eloquent  eulogy  on  the  Chief  Justice.  This  was  included 
in  the  minutes  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  January 
term  in  1836,  and  finally  given  a  permanent  place  in  10th  Peters' 
United  States  Supreme  Court  Reports,  and  is  as  follows: 

Death  has  removed  from  the  sphere  of  his  duties,  John  Mar- 
shall, the  venerable  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States,  a  magis- 
trate endeared  to  his  countrymen  by  a  pure  and  spotless  charac- 
ter, distinguished  by  pre-eminent  abilities,  and  illustrious  by 
his  long  and  varied  public  services.  The  sympathy  of  a  whole 
people  attends  the  funeral  of  a  public  benefactor,  whose  life 
conferred  honour  on  his  country.  But  the  law  and  the  legal 
profession  of  which  he  was  the  head  and  ornament,  are,  more 
than  all  others,  interested  and  affected  by  this  solemn  event. 
His  high  judicial  station  was  equally  above  envy  and  reproach; 
and  the  honour  of  official  dignity  was  enhanced  and  ennobled  by 
his  intrinsic  worth  and  personal  merit.  Though  his  authority 
as  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States  was  protracted  far  beyond 
the  ordinary  term  of  public  life,  no  man  dared  to  covet  his  place, 
or  express  a  wish  to  see  it  filled  by  another.  Even  the  spirit  of 
party  respected  the  unsullied  purity  of  the  judge,  and  the  fame 
of  the  Chief  Justice  has  justified  the  wisdom  of  the  Constitution, 
and  reconciled  the  jealousy  of  freedom  to  the  independence  of 
the  judiciary. 

While  we  bow  with  humble  resignation  to  the  inevitable  doom 
of  humanity,  we  may  adore  the  goodness  of  Providence  that 
spared  his  life  so  long  to  establish,  by  the  authority  of  his  vir- 
tues and  abilities,  the  character  of  that  tribunal  in  which  he 
presided.  His  fame  is  indissolubly  connected  with  the  admin- 
istration of  justice;  nor  can  virtuous  emulations  of  future  judges 
aspire  to  a  higher  distinction  than  to  equal  the  wisdom  and  to 
copy  the  example  of  Marshall. 


James  Louis  Petigru  173 

TO    HUGH     S.     LEGARE 

Charleston,  May  31,  1835. 
My  Dear  Legare: 

The  last  letter  I  received  from  you  was  that  of  7th  February. 
Mr.  Simon's  pamphlet  and  the  newspapers,  P>ench  and  English, 
have  come  to  hand  since;  but  what  can  I  say  for  myself,  suffer- 
ing weeks  and  even  months  to  pass  obliviously  as  I  have  done? 
Vile  indolence  and  procrastination  alone  must  answer  for  it. 
Since  the  peace,  or  pacification,  it  seems  as  if  we  were  really 
"the  world  forgetting"  as  we  are  "by  the  world  forgot."  It  is, 
I  confess,  a  most  ungracious  repose.  Make  all  the  allowances 
you  can,  but  when  you  have  done  so  the  sum  is  that  I  am  a  vile 
offender — and  you  can  not  reproach  me  too  much. 

What  shall  I  say  to  soften  the  sternness  of  your  pride?  Shall 
I  tell  you  of  our  petty  politics  and  languid  parties,  public  as  well 
as  private?  You  had  just  heard  of  McDuffie's  inaugural  and 
looked  upon  it  as  everybody,  I  think,  did,  as  something  more 
like  madness  than  mischief.  I  really  fear  for  the  soundness  of 
our  Governor's  intellect.  He  delivered  that  address  after  a 
treaty  of  peace  had  been  confirmed,  which  he  had  supported  and 
freely  concurred  in.  But  there  is  nothing  like  peace  in  that 
speech  and  he  has  been  ever  since  viewing  the  unfortunate 
militia  with  strategy  and  the  mimicry  of  military  discipline. 
He  has  encampments  in  every  brigade  and  rails  against  those 
spiritless  citizens  that  think  of  ploughing  instead  of  learning  the 
use  of  the  sword.  Their  first  essay  was  at  Woodstock,  I  suppose 
you  know  where  that  is,  fifteen  miles  from  town.  Not  one-half 
of  his  captains  and  lieutenants  attended,  and  it  was  nothing 
more  than  a  failure.  The  next  gathering  was  to  have  been 
on  the  Pee-Dee,  but  that  they  had  to  give  up  altogether.  In 
some  other  places  (Barnwell,  for  instance,)  they  have  done  bet- 
ter. But,  altogether,  I  don't  think  that  he  is  doing  much  good, 
or  much  honor  to  any  one  but  himself,  and  the  militia  will  cease 
to  be  Nullifiers  before  they  come  to  be  regulars. 

The  motion  to  reorganize  the  judiciary  is  the  only  speck  now 
on  the  surface  of  our  state  affairs.  There  is  no  doubt  that  it 
had  its  origin  in  the  profane  test  oath.  But  they  pretended  to 
be  governed  only  by  public  motiv^es  free  from  ail  party,  and  had 
a  great  advantage  in  the  folly  or  craft  of  Tom  Williams,  who 
supported  it  because,  forsooth,  he  was  never  satisfied  of  the 
constitutionality  of  the  Court  as  it  now  stands.  This  is  [B.  F.] 
Hunt's  ground,  too,  and  Lide  Wilson,  who  spoke  and  voted 
for  years  in  favor  of  an  Appeal  Court,  has  also  discovered 
that  it  is  unconstitutional.  Is  it  not  strange  that  a  written 
constitution,  so  far  from  insuring  certainty  renders  everything 
more  doubtful?  I  have  written  nothing  and  said  little  about  it, 
for  my  only  hope  of  the  safety  of  the  Court  is  in  leaving  the 


1 74  ^^/<?j  Letters  and  Speeches 

decision  to  the  natural  instability  of  the  Democracy  free  from 
party.  The  heads  are  anxious,  I  think,  to  get  out  of  the  diffi- 
culty without  any  overt  act.  But,  if  it  should  be  a  question 
between  Union  and  Nullification,  the  majority  would  unques- 
tionably rally  to  the  party  cry.  We  want  a  tub  for  the  whale, 
and  if  nothing  else  is  at  hand  the  leaders  will  have  to  toss  the 
judiciary  overboard  or  amuse  the  monster  with  some  new  lie. 
But  can  we  expect  in  such  a  state  as  this  to  maintain  a  respec- 
table judiciary?  There  is  a  fatal  defect — the  want  of  a  Bar — - 
and  can  there  be  any  Bar  in  the  Democracy?  It  has  been  found 
impracticable  all  over  America.  They  disguise  the  truth  by 
ambiguity  and  call  the  attorneys  barristers,  but  they  are  attor- 
neys notwithstanding,  and  as  long  as  the  employments  are  not 
kept  distinct  the  profession  must  continue  a  trade,  and  there  is 
no  order  of  men  from  whom  fit  Judges  are  to  be  selected  and  on 
whom  the  Bench  can  rely  for  assistance  in  the  decision  of  causes 
or  for  support  against  popular  clamor. 

I  have  been  to  Columbia  twice  since  I  wrote  last,  and  have 
found  nothing  but  kindness  and  civility  from  our  late  belliger- 
ents. Even  Dr.  Cooper  and  I  have  become  quite  scrumptious. 
It  has  gone  so  far  that  we  exchange  visits  and  little  Johnson,  too, 
is  as  civil  as  if  we  were  the  best  friends.  Do  you  know  all  that 
has  been  done  concerning  the  college?  In  December,  1833, 
they  turned  out  all  the  faculty,  that  is,  they  invited  them  to 
resign,  and  they  did  so.  For  Dr.  Cooper  they  provided  by 
re-electing  him  professor  of  chemistry,  and  Henry  was  placed  in 
the  chair.  But  the  College  sunk  lower  and  lower.  Last  winter 
they  virtually  dismissed  Henry  and  elected  new  professors  with- 
out going  into  the  election  of  president.  Nott  was  continued 
with,  I  know  not  what  professorship,  and,  as  all  the  new  pro- 
fessors declined,  he  and  poor  Mr.  Park  and  the  two  Gibbeses 
have  supported  the  weight  of  the  College  from  that  time.  No 
arduous  duty  if  you  look  at  the  number  of  students,  about  five 
and  twenty,  but  truly  herculean  if  the  difficulty  of  reestablish- 
ing a  fallen  school  be  considered.  In  this  second  cast  of  charac- 
ters Dr.  Cooper  was  removed  from  the  College  altogether,  but 
employed  about  a  republication  of  the  statute  law  of  the  State. 
Henry  was  offered  a  professorship,  which  he  indignantly  refused. 
He  keeps  his  old  quarters  at  the  president's  house,  and  has 
leisure  to  ruminate  on  his  brilliant  career  as  a  volunteer  in 
Hayne's  army  and  a  politician.  An  election  was  postponed  in 
December  and  promised  in  June.  The  day  has  been  changed 
several  times,  from  the  first  to  the  second  or  third  week,  and 
back  again,  but  it  is  very  questionable  if  any  election  will  be 
made.  Nott  is  exceedingly  odious  to  the  religious  public,  and 
he  bravely  declares  he  would  rather  quit  the  College  than  de- 
grade his  freedom  by  going  to  church  so  much  as  once  a  day  on 
Sundays.  (Here  I  had  to  throw  down  my  pen  and  have  never 
been  able  to  resume  it  till  this  morning,  June  5,  1835.) 


'James  Louis  Petigru  175 

There  has  been  something  new.  The  Bank  of  Charleston  has 
set  our  citizens  all  agog  for  stock.  The  speculations  were  most 
extravagant  and  everybody  gave  into  them  till  the  subscription 
has  all  the  characters  of  a  real  Mississippi  schemer.  The  bubble 
consists  in  this:  .Subscriptions  were  to  be  paid  in  checks  on  the 
banks  and  for  convenience  it  was  agreed  to  let  the  money  remain 
in  every  bank  on  which  the  check  might  happen  to  be  drawn.  The 
banks  agreed  to  lend  on  condition  the  loans  should  be  applied 
to  no  other  purpose  but  the  subscription.  They  began  by  dis- 
counting notes  for  $10,000,  but  as  everybody  ran  to  them  for 
loans  the  sums  swelled  to  more  and  more  until  on  the  last  day 
of  subscription  halt  a  million  became  a  very  common  operation, 
the  whole  process  consisting  in  the  mere  entry  of  so  much  credit 
to  A.  B.  or  C.  without  paying  out  a  cent.  In  consequence  of 
this  the  subscriptions  ran  up  to  eighty-one  millions  instead  of 
two — this  in  the  city  alone.  But  the  people  in  the  country 
towns,  who  were  in  the  rear  of  the  spirit  of  improvement,  sub- 
scribed only  eight  or  nine  millions.  So  that  the  whole  subscrip- 
tion does  not  exceed  ninety  million,  and  the  subscribers  get  one 
share  for  forty-five  subscribed.  If  I  had  been  blessed  with  a 
ray  of  genius,  and  had  got  a  loan  of  $500,000,  I  might  have 
subscribed  $2,000,000,  and  got  440  shares  and,  as  subscribers 
are  now  offered  $20  in  advance  on  their  share,  might  have 
pocketed  8,000  dollars  as  easy  as  to  call  up  in  the  mind  so  many 
phantoms,  but  simple  man  that  I  was,  I  thought  it  very  brave  as 
I  had  $7,000  in  my  hands  as  trustee  to  subscribe  four  times  that 
amount  for  my  constituents;  the  consequence  is  that  they  get 
six  shares.  This  is  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  To  the  honor 
gained  by  Nullification  they  are  going  to  add  the  riches  of  stock 
jobbing  and  enjoy  in  imagination  boundless  treasures  both  in 
fame  and  money.  There  is  vast  competition  for  the  place  of 
president  of  this  new  bank.  Hamilton  goes  for  it  and  will  get  it. 
He  was  one  of  the  millionaires.  Of  course,  you  would  not  sup- 
pose he  was  in  the  lag  of  adventure.  Close  upon  his  heels, 
with  as  much  resolution,  but  inferior  lights,  is  our  friend,  Ikey 
Holmes,  who  tore  his  hair  with  vexation  at  the  close  of  the  play 
to  find  he  had  been  attending  to  the  small  game  and  gone  in  for 
onlv  four  thousand  shares  instead  of  stocking  holdlv  for  the 
whole  20,000.  As  the  whole  capital  is  only  $2^,000,000,  no  one 
could  subscribe  for  more  than  20,000  shares. 

The  general  politics  of  the  country  I  know  as  little  of  as  you. 
Van  Buren  was  unanimously  nominated  in  Baltimore  by  a  Con- 
vention fresh  from  the  people,  and  Dick  Johnson  had  more  than 
two  to  one  over  Mr.  Pierce.  Everybody  gives  it  up  that  V.  B. 
will  ride  the  great  horse,  but  this  nomination  of  Johnson,  who 
is  all  sorts  of  a  bank  man,  internal  improvement  and  everything 
Anti-Virginian,  except  general  humbug,  will  fix  Leigh  probably 
in  his  seat  and  prevent  the  dissolution  of  the  opposition  in  the 


176  ^(/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

Senate.  The  old  man  has  very  nearly  put  everything  under  him 
and  will  retire  with  the  honors  of  victory.  There  is  a  rumor  in 
the  newspapers  that  Mr.  Forsyth  is  going  to  resign.  I  don't 
know  what  to  make  of  it.  They  surely  don't  mean  to  separate 
Georgia  and  the  Administration.  Everybody  must  concede 
that  the  nomination  of  poor  old  White  was  a  foolish  thing  of 
itself.  Whether  there  is  any  hidden  meaning  in  it,  as  I  should 
have  suspected  and  for  a  long  time  believed,  seems  every  day 
more  doubtful,  and  it  appears  now  as  if  the  old  man  was  no  more 
a  dupe  than  his  friends.  Preston,  it  is  supposed,  was  willing  to 
raise  White's  flag  here,  and  Pinckney  has  already  done  so.  But 
the  mass  of  the  Nullifiers  took  it  very  badly,  and  McDuffie  and 
Hamilton  openly  denounce  it.  Yet  they  will  not  be  able  long 
to  keep  the  people  from  interfering  in  general  politics,  and  this 
they  know.  For  a  while  Daniel  may  enact  the  part  they  have 
gravely  assigned  him  of  solitary  dignity  and  lofty  contempt, 
but  it  is  too  dull  a  farce  to  entertain  him  long,  and  our  politics 
will  revert  to  the  old  questions  of  the  ministry  and  the  opposi- 
tion. It  would  be  next  thing  to  blasphemy  to  deny  that  public 
virtue  is  now  in  place;  that  is,  the  people  do  actually  govern, 
as  they  did  in  the  days  of  Jefferson,  and  I  shrewdly  suspect  that 
our  leading  politicians  will  give  in  their  adhesion  to  Van  Buren 
within  two  years.  If  they  do  so  you  may  make  your  own  terms 
with  them.  I  know  for  a  fact  that  they  think  so  too.  And  if  you 
choose  to  come  home  in  the  fall  I  think  you  may  very  easily, 
fairly  and  honorably  play  a  great  role  by  bringing  back  South 
Carolina  to  the  communion  of  Holy  Church.  I  don't  say  this 
lightly,  and  if  you  are  not  promoted  to  St.  James,  or  the  Court 
of  the  citizen  King,  I  advise  you  by  all  means  to  return. 

I  must  close  this  letter,  though  I  have  other  things  to  say. 
But  it  is  10  o'clock,  and  I  will  not  risk  the  spirit  of  procrastina- 
tion again.     Adieu. 

Yours  as  ever, 

TO   WILLIAM   PETIGRU 

Charleston,  23  October,  1835. 
Dear  Father. 

Mr.  Porcher  is  the  bearer  of  very  heavy  tidings  for  you  as  well 
as  the  girls.  In  poor  Charles  we  have  lost  what  we  can  not 
retrieve.  As  a  man  without  any  paternal  partiality,  he  was 
worthy  of  all  our  esteem,  for  his  noble  disinterestedness  and 
generous  frankness  of  character.  Among  strangers  we  may  find 
friends,  and  some  who  are  his  equal  in  character,  many  who  sur- 
pass him  in  intellectual  endowments.  Of  such  a  man  however, 
anyone  would  be  proud  as  a  friend — how  much  more  as  a  brother! 
But  I  submit.  It  is  a  recollection  that  I  will  always  cherish, 
and  tho'  he  is  dead,  I  would  not  exchange  the  memory  of  what 


Book.  Plate 


{Facing  176) 


James  Louis  Petigru  111 

he  was,  for  the  long  life  of  thousands  that  survive.  It  is  my 
wish  that  the  girls  should  all  come.  None  of  us  I  am  sure,  are 
disposed  to  desert  you,  but  you  enjoy  the  society  of  your  children 
more,  when  they  visit  you  as  they  do  now  from  time  to  time,  than 
you  would  have  done  if  they  had  all  vegetated  at  home  without 
ambition  or  improvement.  I  judge  for  you  as  I  should  judge  for 
myself,  and  it  is  not  my  wish  that  my  children  should  linger 
about  me,  when  they  can  see  the  world  and  improve  by  better 
society.  Mary  would  be  very  solitary  left  without  Harriette; 
much  more  so  than  you  without  Mary,  and  Harriette  is  so  much 
a  part  of  my  family,  that  it  would  be  not  staying  at  home,  but 
going  from  home  and  neglecting  the  strongest  domestic  ties  if 
she  were  to  leave  us  altogether.  I  am  willing  to  make  a  fair 
partition  and  let  her  stay  with  you  in  the  summer,  but  can  not 
give  her  up  altogether  after  having  educated  her  with  my  child- 
ren and  as  one  of  them.  These  observations,  dear  Father,  I 
make  not  because  I  doubt  your  readiness  to  consult  the  good  of 
the  children  even  at  the  expense  of  your  inclinations,  but  to 
show  them  how  earnest  I  am,  about  their  coming,  for  I  know 
that  they  have  such  a  sense  of  duty,  as  makes  them  incline  to 
stav  by  you  the  more,  because  it  is  a  sacrifice  to  give  up  the 
world.  And  if  your  circumstances  required  it,  I  should  certainly 
think  it  their  duty  to  do  so.  But  I  am  sure  you  will  pass  the 
winter  as  pleasantly,  and  even  more  so  without  them.  I  wish 
you  would  let  me  know  what  you  stand  in  need  of,  and  it  will 
give  me  great  pleasure  to  send  everything  up.  If  you  have  made 
a  short  crop,  don't  let  it  trouble  you,  for  you  shall  be  supplied 
with  money  to  make  up  any  deficiency. 

I  send  you  a  letter  that  I  have  received  from  Jack;  I  suppose 
he  is  doing  very  badly. 

You  will  see  a  copy  of  a  letter  from  Miss  Pettigrew  of  Crilly, 
who  is  the  daughter  of  your  first  cousin  Robert  Pettigrew.  In 
addition  to  what  she  states,  I  can  add  from  other  information,  that 
her  father  was  a  Solicitor  ot  great  eminence,  and  died  upwards 
of  80  years  old  in  the  year  1816.  And  that  the  family  have  a 
good  estate  in  the  County  of  Tyrone.  I  have  also  received  a 
communication  from  Thomas  Joseph  Pettigrew  of  London,  a 
fellow  of  the  Royal  Society  and  gentleman  of  distinction.  He 
is  from  the  Scotch  family  and  states  that  the  tradition  of  their 
stock  is,  that,  there  were  two  branches  of  the  family,  who  came 
from  France  at  the  same  time;  that,  one  settled  in  the  West  of 
Scotland  and  the  other  in  the  North  of  Ireland.  That  the  time 
of  their  emigration  from  France  is  unknown,  but,  that  it  must 
have  been  prior  to  the  year  1496,  in  the  reign  of  James  the  4th, 
as  it  appears  from  the  Records  that  one  Mathew  Petigru  then 
held  lands  under  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow.  I  intend  to  make 
further  investigation  into  the  history  of  the  Irish  family,  and 
hope  to  be  able  to  obtain  more  complete  information  on  the  sub- 


178  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

ject  by  the  aid  of  Sir  William  Beechy,  the  great  antiquarian. 
Our  cousin  Margaret's  letter  was  addressed  to  a  gentleman,  who 
had  been  requested  to  make  the  inquiries  of  her  by  the  corres- 
pondents of  a  friend  of  mine,*  to  whom  I  wrote  on  the  subject. 
Her  letter  is  copied  by  my  daughter  Caroline  for  your  perusal. 
I  intend  to  write  to  her  and  will  confess  that  I  am  glad  to  find 
that  we  are  so  respectably  descended,  and  that  our  Irish  con- 
nexions are  so  creditable.  I  had  anticipated  the  pleasure  that 
your  poor  Charles  would  feel  in  these  details,  but  it  was  denied 

to  me.     Adieu 

Your  Son. 

The  Charles  mentioned  in  the  above  letter  was  the  youngest 
brother  of  Mr.  Petigru.  He  was  educated  by  his  brother. 
He  entered  West  Point  in  1825,  and  graduated  in  the  famous 
class  of  1829,  being  number  19  in  a  class  of  46.  Among  the  mem- 
bers of  this  class  it  is  interesting  to  note  such  names  recorded  as 
the  following:  R.  E.  Lee,  2d;  J.  Allen  (Smith)  Izard,  4th;  C.  W. 
Hackley  (mathematician),  9th;  O.  M.  Mitchell  (astronomer), 
15th;  James  Trapier  of  South  Carolina;  Theopolus  Holmes,  of 
North  CaroHna,  44th,  and  Richard  Screven,  of  South  CaroHna, 
46th. 

In  1833  he  was  transferred  to  the  Ordnance.  There  is  a  tra- 
dition that  he  exchanged  with  his  friend  Captain  Ramsey,  who 
had  been  recently  married,  and  went  in  his  place  to  Florida 
during  the  Seminole  war.  He  died  October  6,  1835,  aged  29, 
and  was  buried  at  Appilachicola. 

TO   Miss   MARGARET   PETIGRU 

Charleston,  25th  November,  1835. 
Dear  Madam: 

*  *  *  It  is  so  long  since  all  communication  had  ceased  between 
us  and  the  European  stock  and  we  are  so  apt  to  distrust  any 
remote  tradition  when  the  influence  of  self-love  is  likely  to  give 
a  coloring  that  I  have  very  little  confidence  in  what  I  have  heard 
of  our  origin  and  was  really  very  much  gratified  to  ascertain 
satisfactorily  that  we  really  come  from  a  good  family  *  *  * 
You  will  greatly  add  to  the  obligation  under  which  you  have 
already  laid  me  by  the  trouble  you  have  taken  if  you  will  tell  me 
what  you  know  of  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  family.  If  you  would 
send  me  an  impression  or  sketch  on  paper  it  woula  be  preferable. 
The  arms  which  are  assigned  to  the  name  are  marked  Scotch, 
and  I  am  informed  that  the  French  and  Scotch  families  are 


*Peter  Trezevant,  Esq.,  31  Chester  Terrace,  Regent  Park,  London. 


James  Louis  Petigru  179 

branches  of  the  same  stock;  it  does  not  follow  that  they  are 
entitled  to  the  same  arms.  My  grandfather,  who  died  before 
my  time,  was  too  much  occupied  by  more  pressing  cares  to  think 
of  his  escutcheon,  if  he  was  entitled  to  any  such  distinction,  or 
leave  any  information  on  this  subject  to  his  family.     *     *     * 

I  may  as  well  mention  that  I  am  by  profession  a  lawyer;  that 
my  success  has  been  at  least  equal  to  my  desert;  that  I  am  up- 
wards of  40;  a  married  man  with  three  children.  *  *  *  \,^^ 
to  assure  you  of  this  feeling  with  which  though  I  can  not  make 
so  free  as  to  say  "dear  cousin," 

I  am  your  humble  servant  and  relative, 

In  the  postscript  of  a  letter  written  in  1837,  he  writes: 

Cousin  Margaret  has  sent  me  the  coat  of  arms:  Gules,  three 
stars,  and  a  crescent,  argent.  I  will  have  it  engraved  when  I 
go  north,  and  you  will  see  it. 

TO   JOHN    G.    NORTH 

Charleston,  12th  December,  1835. 
My  dear  North: 

*  *  *  The  Bill  to  abolish  the  Court  of  Appeals  will  probably 
almost  certainly  pass  the  Legislature,  but,  strange  as  it  may  seem, 
the  old  Judges  will  probably  be  reelected.  The  reason  is,  first, 
that  it  is  a  very  weak  Legislature  governed  by  party,  and  the 
party  under  the  leading  of  men  who  are  governed  by  a  small  vani  ty 
to  do  as  much  mischief  as  they  can,  even  when  they  are  to  get 
nothing  by  it.  And,  secondly,  that  McCord,  Caldwell  and  Dun- 
kin  could  not  get  a  vote  of  the  party  to  elect  them,  as  they  can 
get  one  to  turn  out  the  present  incumbents;  and  lastly,  because 
the  influence  of  the  party  is  so  much  diminished,  that  it  can  not 
prevent  men  from  being  kind,  though  it  is  sufficient  to  prevent 
them  from  being  just.  There  was  no  speaking  except  on  one 
side,  till  they  came  to  the  second  section,  which  means,  though 
obscurely  worded,  that  Johnston,  O'Neale  and  Harper  are 
deprived  ot  their  commissions;  and  for  a  good  while  there  was 
nothing  about  that  except  a  few  scattering  shots,  except  the 
onesided  speeches  from  the  friends  of  the  bill.  But  Albert 
Smith*  at  last  came  out  like  a  house  on  fire,  so  unexpected  and  so 
brilliant  that  it  was  a  perfect  surprise.  It  did  no  good,  however, 
directly,  because  when  the  vote  was  taken  on  Thursday  10th, 
the  amendment  offered  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  Act  con- 
stitutional, was  rejected  by  a  very  great  majority.  The  speech 
has  had  influence  however  and  will  establish  Mr.  Smith's  repu- 
tation as  the  first  man  in  the  present  House.     Yet  he  was  in 


*Afterwards  Albert  Rhett. 


180  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

favor  of  the  Bill,  and  only  opposed  the  leaving  out  of  the  judges 
as  unconstitutional.  His  speech  has  another  effect:  those  who 
will  vote  in  favor  of  the  Bill,  will  afterwards  vote  in  favor  of  the 
judges;  many  of  them,  because  they  have  during  this  discussion, 
said  so  to  avoid  the  argument  from  the  Constitution.     Adieu. 

Yours  truly, 

P.  S. — The  law  against  free  negroes  was  rejected  in  the  Senate 
as  soon  as  it  was  touched.  There  is  likely  to  be  very  little  done 
but  the  unconstitutional  business  of  turning  out  the  Judges,  and 
the  foolish  one  of  changing  a  good  judiciary  for  a  worse  one. 

TO    MRS.   JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

24  December,  1835. 
My  dear  Jane: 

All  the  compliments  of  the  season  to  you  and  all  the  George- 
town coterie.  I  hope  that  you  are  all  well,  and  that  you  are  not, 
any  of  you,  too  wise  to  be  merry  according  to  the  simple  fashion 
of  the  old  times.  I  came  here  last  Saturday — found  everything 
well — have  made  12,000  bushels  from  200  acres,  which  is  not 
contemptible,  and  if  I  lived  as  a  planter,  on  the  plantation,  and 
of  the  plantation,  would  be  a  decent  income  for  the  like  of  us. 
But  what  with  buying  corn,  clothing  against  cholera  as  well  as 
against  cold — and  paying  bills  for  all  that  is  not  done  by  the 
negroes'  own  hands,  little  is  left  of  8  or  9,000  dollars  to  lay  up  or 
to  spend.  The  only  thing  to  flatter  my  vanity  as  a  proprietor 
is  the  evident  and  striking  improvement  in  the  moral  and  physi- 
cal condition  of  the  negroes  since  they  have  been  under  my 
administration.  When  I  took  them,  they  were  naked  and  desti- 
tute; now  there  is  hardly  one  that  has  not  a  pig  at  least,  and  with 
few  exceptions,  they  can  kill  their  own  poultry  whenever  they 
please.     *     *     * 


Petigru's  Seal 

The  crest,  a  little  crane,  petit  gnu:  believed  to  have  been  a  joke  ot 
Captain  Thomas  Petigru,  U.S.N. 


(Facing  180) 


James  Louis  Petigru  1 8 1 


CHAPTER  XX 

1836 

Advice  to  Legare;  Death  of  his  Brother-in-law;  Mar- 
riages OF  his  Sisters;  Cholera;  Fire  in  City;  Buying 
Land 

to  HUGH  S.   legare 

Charleston,  February  17,  1836. 
My  Dear  Legare: 

This  is  Ash  Wednesday,  the  day  of  all  days  in  the  year  that 
our  citizens  take  for  a  gala  and  merry-making.  This  is  the  day 
when  the  races  commence  and  Charleston  is  filled  with  old  and 
young  intent  on  amusement,  business  and  the  turf.  But  for  me 
it  is  no  day  of  rejoicing  or  festivity.  My  poor  friend  North  died 
last  Saturday  morning,  leaving  three  small  children,  besides  his 
widow,  whose  destiny  depends  now  a  great  deal  on  me.  He 
went  off  very  rapidly  in  a  dropsy. 

Do  you  really  think  you  will  return  in  the  summer?  Great 
things  are  on  foot  here.  Pinckney  bolted  a  week  ago,  and  intro- 
duced resolutions  counter  to  the  proceedings  of  Hammond,  in 
the  House,  and  Calhoun,  in  the  Senate.  They  are  vexed,  but 
don't  denounce  him.  He  was  certainly  right,  and  it  astonished 
me  that  they  could  persist  in  moving  to  reject  the  petitions  of 
the  Abolitionists,  which  was  putting  the  debate  on  the  footing 
most  advantageous  to  the  Abolitionists.  I  think  that  Pinckney 
is  not  going  to  sit  much  longer  on  the  cold  rock  of  opposition. 
Another  change  is  likely  to  occur:  Barnwell  Smith  has  made  a 
fortune  by  an  advantageous  purchase  from  Col.  Stapleton,  and 
begins  to  be  anxious  to  play  a  part  at  Washington,  or,  as  he  says; 
to  retain  his  plantation.  It  is  very  likely  that  both  places  will 
be  vacant,  Pinckney's  and  Smith's,  and  I  think  you  might  have 
either.  After  all,  it  is  questionable  whether  you  could  summon 
resolution  to  quit  Charleston  for  aye  and  transfer  your  domicile 
to  New  York,  though  it  is  there  you  ought  to  be.  Should  you 
come  back  to  us  it  would  be  a  satisfaction  to  find  that  there  was 
a  place  for  you;  not  to  have  to  wait  for  the  second  table  or  look 
on. 

The  turn  which  things  have  taken  is  pacific.  The  English 
mediator  has  done  the  business,  I  suppose.  I  was  very  much 
afraid  of  a  French  war  and  surprised  to  see  how  popular  it  was. 
The  only  war  on  hand  is  with  the  poor  Seminoles.  They  have 
killed  some  and  wounded  a  great  many  by  burning  houses,  mills, 
etc.,  and  carrying  off  the  negroes.     Gen.  Scott  is  there,  and  he 


182  ^?/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

has  called  for  such  large  levies  of  men  that  it  is  evident  he  will 
pass  over  them  without  any  fighting.  Three  volunteer  com- 
panies, besides  drafted  men,  have  gone  from  Charleston. 

Since  you  wrote  your  letter  of  the  10th  December,  which  is 
the  last  I  have  received,  no  doubt  two  of  mine  have  come  to 
hand.  The  contents  of  those  letters,  however,  are  now  State 
news.  They  passed  the  bill  to  break  down  the  Court  of  Appeals; 
on  the  1st  January  the  eleven  Judges  were  all  here.  Judges 
De  Saussure,  president  of  the  chamber — Harper  held  the  Court 
of  Chancery — leaving  nine  for  the  common  bench.  They  sat 
only  three  weeks — had,  fortunately,  a  light  docket  and  got 
through  the  law  cases  without  touching  the  equity.  They  had 
then  to  disperse  for  the  circuits.  The  scheme  works  as  badly  as 
the  clumsy  project  might  be  supposed.  I  don't  think  it  will 
stand  as  long  as  the  last  did.  In  fact  I  believe  Judge  Bay,  who 
has  seen  every  successive  Administration  from  1783,  will  live 
long  enough  to  see  another. 

Adieu,  my  dear  Legare. 

Yours, 

John  G.  North,  his  brother-in-law,  died  at  Georgetown  on  the 
13th  of  February,  1836.  The  duty  of  winding  up  the  estate  and 
providing  another  home  for  the  widow  and  infant  children 
devolved  upon  Mr.  Petigru.  They  returned  to  the  family  nest 
at  Badwell,  where  Mr.  Petigru  stocked  the  farm,  and  here  Mrs. 
North  pursued  farming  and  remained  all  her  life.  Among  the 
various  changes  in  Mr.  Petigru's  domestic  relations  we  record 
the  following  marriages: 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1829,  Louise  Petigru,  his  third  sister, 
was  married  at  Badwell,  to  Philip  Johnston  Porcher.  For  a  few 
years  they  lived  at  his  plantation,  "Keithfield,"  on  the  Cooper 
River,  and  then  removed  to  Charleston,  where  they  lived  ever 
afterwards. 

On  21st  April,  1832,  Adele  Petigru,  his  fourth  sister,  was 
married  from  his  house  to  R.  F.  W.  Allston.  He  graduated  at 
West  Point  in  1821,  and  was  one  of  the  most  advanced  cultiva- 
tors of  rice  in  the  Georgetown  section.  He  was  Governor  of 
South  Carolina  in  1856-58.  He  died  on  the  7th  April,  1864; 
age  63. 

In  April,  1836,  Harriette  Petigru,  his  sixth  sister,  married 
Henry  D.  Lesesne,  and  for  the  first  year  lived  at  his  house. 

His  brother  Tom  had  married  Miss  La  Bruce,  a  lady  of  con- 
siderable wealth. 


James  Louis  Petigru  183 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Walterborough,  April  4,  1836. 
*  *  *  I  came  here  last  night  and  took  possession  of  Sally- 
Ford's  house.  The  tavern  was  never  comfortable,  and  as  I  am 
not  in  general  practice  here  I  was  glad  to  be  as  retired  as  possible. 
Memminger  is  with  me  and  we  are  keeping  house,  and  would 
be  comfortable  if  there  were  fewer  rats;  but  true  to  the  economy 

of  the  family  Sally  has  her at  her  bed  room,  and  before  the 

vermin  retire,  that  is  from  11  to  2  or  3  in  the  morning,  it  is  like 
a  witches'  Sabbath  or  horrid  festival. 

In  June  he  writes:  "I  shall  have  to  attend  the  Court  of 
Appeals  at  Columbia,  and  hope  to  extend  my  visit  as  far  as  Bad- 
well.  This  will  be  in  July  or  August.  Harriette  is  still  with  us 
and  we  all  get  on  very  quietly  with  her  and  Henry. 

"I  hope  father  is  pleased  to  have  you  and  the  children  about 
him.  But  I  daresay  that  when  they  are  importunate  he  some- 
times regrets  the  solitude  he  enjoyed  before  you  came.  Pray 
tell  him  that  if  he  suffers  the  4th  October  to  pass  before  he 
applies  for  his  forty  dollars  they  will  require  an  additional  affi- 
davit that  he  is  the  same  individual."  This  referred  to  his 
father's  pension  as  a  Revolutionary  soldier. 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  23  August,  1836. 
My  dear  Legare: 

I  rejoice  that  you  are  come  and  sincerely  hope  that  you  will 
be  a  member  of  Congress  in  six  weeks.  But  it  is  very  probable 
that  we  shall  require  you  here  at  home  to  take  a  pull  at  the  traces. 
Pinckney  has  crept  about  our  Union  men  and  gained  them  over 
to  his  purposes  in  some  occasions.  Holmes  has  no  strength. 
You  need  not  be  restrained  by  friendship  for  him — no  one  thinks 
that  he  has  any  chance.     I  don't  believe  he  thinks  so  himself. 

Your  letter  by  Boyer  is  dated  the  14th,  yet  I  got  it  only  yes- 
terday, and  must  answer  very  succinctly  for  I  am  just  returned 
from  an  expedition  partly  of  business  and  the  boat  is  within  10 
minutes  of  a  start.  Yours  ever, 

TO    HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  26  August,  1836. 
My  dear  Legare: 

The  business  is  fixed  so  far  as  we  can  fix  it,  and  in  the  Patriot 
of  this  afternoon  you  will  see  your  annunciation  for  Congress 
and  the  same  in  the  two  morning  papers  to-morrow.     There 


184  -^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

has  been  great  hesitation  among  a  segment  of  our  party  and 
after  long  consultation  Bennett  has  adhered  to  you  and  signed 
the  nomination.  His  reluctance  to  play  a  bold  game  is  habitual, 
and  he  thinks  you  have  no  chance,  but  I  know  better.  I  offered 
the  nomination  to  Bennett  himself,  and  coaxed  him  all  sorts  of 
ways,  not  him  only  but  a  great  many  others.  All  which  I'll  tell 
you  when  I  have  more  time.  We  have  lost  McDonald  and  all 
his  influence.  Steedman  probably  will  vote  for  you  and  we 
shall  be  able  to  carry  the  bulk  of  the  party.  Our  friend  Holmes 
is  the  best  affected  to  you  in  the  world  and  says  if  he  could  be 
sure  of  you  he  would  be  willing  to  stand  out  of  the  way.  The 
contest  gives  us  every  advantage,  for  the  Nullifiers  by  quarreling 
are  doing  our  work  for  us  and  in  confidence,  the  Holmes  party 
would  greatly  prefer  you  to  Pinckney,  so  much  so  that  I  should 
not  be  surprised  if  late  in  the  canvass  H.  should  be  withdrawn; 
and  the  Nullifiers  come  to  our  camp  as  auxiliaries  in  mass. 

Our  friends  think  you  ought  to  come  home.  I  beg  you  will 
do  so  as  soon  as  you  can.  Write  to  Bennett  also  and  thank  him 
and  let  him  know  that  you  are  aware  how  much  you  owe  him. 

I  have  done  by  you,  my  dear  fellow,  what  I  know  you  would 
do  for  me — used  my  best  judgment  and  decided  as  I  think  it  is 
for  your  interests  that  I  should.  More,  it  is  decidedly  better 
for  you  to  be  beat  than  not  to  come  before  the  people.  It  would 
do  you  no  harm  to  be  beat — but  to  be  shelved — aye  think  of  that 
— to  lie  in  cold  obstruction,  etc,  etc. 

Adieu,  thine, 

TO   HUGH    S.    LEGARE 

Charleston,  September  6,  1836. 
My  dear  Legare: 

I  hope  you  don't  mean  to  stay  long  in  Boston  nor  in  New 
York  either,  but  come  home  as  soon  as  you  can.  I  don't  think 
that  you  are  under  any  obligation  to  Mr.  Forsyth  to  wait  for 
his  return  to  Washington  before  you  visit  it  to  pass  your  accounts 
considering  what  weighty  reasons  you  have  at  home  to  attend 
you.  You  are  right  in  saying  that  it  is  going  to  be  a  tough  race 
between  you  and  Pinckney,  and  doubly  right  in  your  conclusion 
that  it  would  be  just  as  bad,  nay  worse  to  turn  back  than  to  go 
through.  If  it  turns  out  badly  throw  all  the  blame  on  me;  I 
admit  that  I  am  responsible  for  the  advice  and  shall  maintain 
to  the  last  that  the  advice  is  good.  I  am  beginning  to  feel  sav- 
age towards  Pinckney  for  supplanting  me  with  our  people,  and 
not  only  me  but  all  the  leaders  of  the  party  who  stood  up  for  the 
Constitution  and  Union  when  he  was  foremost  in  the  cry  of 
Nullification.  The  Courier  is,  in  fact,  all  his  own.  Yeadon  does 
not  help  us,  and  King,  the  other  editor,  is  a  whiffling  tool  that 
has  no  honor  in  him  and  is,  in  fact,  so  low  in  his  estimates  of 


Caroline  Petigrt  at  Eighteen 
1820-1893 

BV    THOMAS    Sri.LY 


(Facing  IS4) 


James  Louis  Petigru  185 

right  and  wrong  as  to  think  it  no  shame  to  give  as  a  reason  for 
supporting  Pinckney  that  it  will  mortify  J.  C.  Calhoun.  They 
have  drawn  off  a  good  deal  of  our  Democracy  in  this  way.  The 
Irish  and  the  mechanics,  the  Methodists,  Pinckney  has  them 
from  both  sides.  His  lieutenants  are  Laval  and  Keith,  NuUi- 
fiers,  and  McDonald,  formerly  a  Union  man.  The  recent  ticket 
— that  is  the  members  elected — show  the  division:  L.  P.  Holmes, 
Hamilton,  Peronneau,  Mordecai,  Simons,  Codgell,  Henry  In- 
gram, Ripley,  Connor.     Doubtful:  Seymour,  Ker,  Howland. 

To  the  doubtful  perhaps  Ripley  ought  to  be  added.  The 
Nullifiers  are  betting  on  your  election  and  everything  shows  that 
the  contest  will  be  narrowed  down  to  you  and  Pinckney,  and 
that  the  friends  of  H.  will  ultimately  rally  on  you  if  they  see  no 
chance  of  carrying  the  election,  and  at  all  events  we  shall  get  as 
many  Nullification  votes  as  Pinckney  will  take  away.  But  I 
think  you  should  come  as  soon  as  you  get  this  letter,  Washington 
or  not.  Zounds,  it  is  an  important  thing  when  a  gentleman  has 
been  away  four  years  and  his  friends  are  in  strife  at  home  to  come 
up  to  the  scratch;  and  if  you  are  elected  they  will  be  very  glad 
to  see  you  at  Washington  at  your  own  time. 

Don't  mind  what  you  hear  of  Preston.  W^ait  till  you  see  him 
for  I  think  he  is  friendly  to  you,  though  with  his  usual  arrogance 
may  undertake  to  pronounce  on  what  can  and  what  can  not  be. 
It  is  mere  waste  of  time  to  talk  of  me,  if  serious,  and  if  in  jest 
it  is  not  at  this  time  to  enjoy  such.  I  do  not  believe  I  would 
make  half  so  good  a  figure  in  the  House  of  Representatives  as  in 
the  Court  House  at  Georgetown,  and  I  could  no  more  think  of 
going  with  my  circumstances  and  ties  than  I  would  hesitate  in 
yours.  Come  home  and  let  us  do  the  thing  neatly  and  well. 
Remember,  however,  no  whiskers,  no  rings,  no  chain,  no  foppery, 
nothing  but  civility  and  common  sense  till  the  election  is  over. 

Yours, 

TO   MRS.  JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

Charleston,  27  October,  1836. 
My  dear  Jane: 

It  is  a  long  time  since  I  wrote  to  you  last  and  by  my  promise 
I  ought  to  have  seen  you  instead  of  writing.  However,  you 
know  the  reason,  my  anxiety  about  Mr.  Legare's  election  was 
great,  but  it  was  a  stronger  feeling  than  that;  a  consciousness 
that  I  had  made  myself  in  a  great  degree  responsible  for  the 
event  by  the  part  I  had  taken,  which  would  not  permit  of  my 
leaving  this  place  in  September  without  an  act  of  desertion.  You 
know,  I  suppose,  how  the  election  went  and  that  Mr.  Legare 
succeeded  by  the  aid  of  the  country  votes,  and  that  on  our 
united  ticket  none  but  Mr.  Frost  and  myself  were  elected.  The 
other   14  were  the   nominees  of  Pinckney 's  party.     I  will  be 


186  -^i/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

obliged  to  attend  the  legislature,  which  is  to  meet  on  the  28th 
of  next  month.  You  may  expect  to  see  me  about  the  20th.  I 
shall  go  up  to  see  you  a  week  before  the  legislature  meets.  Shall 
I  bring  Jim  with  me?  He  is  perfectly  sound  and  well;  has  never 
had  a  scratch  during  all  the  cholera,  and  looks  almost  as  if  he 
had  been  on  Badwell  instead  of  this  nursery  of  plagues,  for 
such  it  has  been  all  summer.  The  doctors  are  sought  after 
more  than  other  description  of  men.  Those  that  never  had  a 
patient  before  have  the  agreeable  vexation  of  interruption  and 
importunities  at  all  hours  of  the  night  and  day.  We  have  done 
talking  of  alarm  and  bear  the  presence  of  the  pestilence  with  the 
equanimity  of  those  strict  predestinarians  the  Turks,  who  treat 
all  quarantine  and  sanitary  regulations  with  contempt.  Poor 
Cross  [Col.  Cross]  is  an  example  of  the  mysterious  power  of  the 
disease.  He  died  to-day  at  12  o'clock  hardly  aware  that  he  was 
in  any  distress.  Yesterday  morning  I  saw  him  at  the  fire, 
which  burnt  down  the  house  at  the  corner  of  Broad  and  King 
Streets.  He  was  confined  to  his  bed  last  evening,  and  thought 
himself  better  this  morning,  and  I  believe  neither  he  nor  his 
family  were  aware  that  he  was  worse  till  he  breathed  his  last. 

I  am  going  in  the  morning  to  Savannah  and  will  return  next 
week.  Then  to  Georgetown  and  afterwards  to  Badwell.  *  *  * 
The  fire  I  spoke  of  was  very  near  making  a  sweep  of  Mr.  Pringle's 
house  and  all  those  near  there  in  Orange  Street.  The  roof  of 
the  tenement  house  where  Mr.  Keating  Simons  formerly  lived, 
was  on  fire  and  that  of  several  others.  But  the  firemen  exerted 
themselves  well  and  happily  succeeded  in  staying  it,  with  com- 
paratively little  loss.  Only  the  mean  wooden  houses  opposite 
to  where  we  used  to  live  on  Broad  Street,  and  the  two  brick 
houses  at  the  corner;  you  may  remember  where  Devillers  used 
to  live.  If  the  city  should  increase  as  it  is  supposed  it  will, 
such  fires  will  be  a  benefit  to  it.  And  we  are  all  anticipating  a 
great  deal  from  the  Ohio  railroad.  I  subscribed  5  shares  for 
you  and  5  shares  for  May,  and  Tom  subscribed  one  for  each  of 
the  children,  and  I  hope  they  will  one  day  be  worth  more  than 
they  are  now.     *     *     * 

Your  affectionate  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  11  November,  1836, 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  am  greatly  concerned  to  hear  that  father's  health  is  so  poorly. 
I  will  leave  Charleston  on  the  17th,  that  is  next  Thursday  and 
will  I  hope  be  with  you  at  Badwell  on  Saturday  the  19th,  stay 
with  you  till  Friday  following  and  then  leave  you  for  Columbia. 
I  have  got  the  claret,  but  though  it  was  sent  to  the  railroad,  they 
sent  it  back — had  too  much  freight.     I  have  tried  the  steam- 


James  Louis  Petigru  187 

boat,  and  if  it  don't  go  before  I  am  off,  it  will  be  probably  taken 
as  part  of  my   baggage.     *     *     *     Do  tell   father  that   I   am 
making  haste  to  see  him,  but  that  I  hope  and  believe  that  I  will 
find  him  a  great  deal  better  than  your  letter  expresses  it.  *  *  * 
My  love  to  Mary  and  the  children,  truly  and  affectionately. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Columbia,  9  December,  1836. 
My  dear  Jane: 

The  new  Treasurer,  Mr.  Black,  is  so  good  as  to  take  charge  of 
this  letter  with  the  enclosed  bills,  in  which  you  will  find  725 
dollars  for  Mr.  Carr.  And  before  you  pay  it  you  will  see  that 
his  wife  has  released  her  dower  before  Mr.  Collier,  as  was  agreed 
on.  The  fees  of  Mr.  Collier  are  to  be  paid  by  you,  not  exceeding 
2  dollars.  Mr.  Noble  and  I  agreed  to-day  for  the  slip  of  land  on 
this  side,  for  which  I  have  paid  him  his  own  price  supposing  it  to 
be  12  acres,  but  it  is  to  be  measured,  and  if  there  is  more  than 
12  acres,  I  am  to  pay  more.  In  the  meantime  the  land  is  ours 
to  the  middle  of  the  river. 

Mr.  Black  can  not  take  the  garden  seeds.  I  will  send  them 
by  Mr.  Wardlaw  except  a  few  that  I  will  get  Mr.  Black  to  take 
as  he  has  room  in  his  trunk. 

I  have  seen  a  good  deal  of  Mr.  Calhoun  and  had  long  talks 
with  him,  but  very  little  of  the  Governor.*  His  health  appears 
to  me  to  be  very  poor  and  his  spirits  low.  I  dined  with  him 
yesterday  for  the  first  time.  The  crowd  was  such,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  use  one's  arms,  except  from  the  elbow  down,  and 
the  knives  so  dull,  that  one  might  almost  as  well  have  partaken 
with  Governor  Sancho  of  his  uncomfortable  meal,  when  he  had 
all  the  dainties  of  Barrataria  before  him  and  was  not  allowed  to 
touch  them.  I  have  been  obliged  to  decline  several  invitations 
for  want  of  time.  I  understand  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
gaiety  in  Columbia  and  plenty  of  parties  given  in  compliment 
to  the  young  married  pair,  Mr.  Thomas  Starke  and  Miss  Raoul. 

Adieu  my  dear  Jane. 

Your  Brother. 

P.  S. — Tell  Carr  that  I  could  not  get  United  States  notes  at  all, 
and  I  was  told  that  the  Bank  of  the  State  are  next  in  favor  to 
them  in  Alabama  and  pass  currently  there;  that  all  the  emigrants 
take  them. 

*McDuffie. 


188  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXI 

1837 

The  Britt  Pension  and  Coolness  with  Poinsett;  Death 
OF  His  Father;  Choctaw  Country,  Mississippi 

Mr.  Petigru's  father  died  January  23,  1837,  within  a  few  weeks 
of  attaining  his  80th  year.  "On  the  last  of  the  month,"  Peti- 
gru  writes,  "I  have  received  your  account  of  our  poor  father's 
last  moments.  I  was  by  accident  at  the  postoffice  and  took  out 
your  letter,  with  some  others,  and  was  passing  along  when  I 
opened  it  the  first  and  read  your  affecting  account  of  the  termin- 
ation of  his  long  pilgrimage.  *  *  *  It  was  not  without  tears 
that  I  went  through  your  narrative  of  the  last  scene  of  this  pro- 
tracted history.  If  Mr,  Waddell  had  felt  his  subject  strongly 
he  might  have  been  very  impressive  in  delineating  the  character 
and  vicissitudes  of  one  that  had  been  among  the  earliest  inhabi- 
tants of  a  rude  country  and  seemed  almost  contemporary  with 
the  origin  of  the  society  in  which  he  lived." 

TO  MRS.  jane   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  14  April,  1837. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  do  not  believe  that  I  have  written  to  you  since  the  16th 
March  which  is  the  date  of  your  last  letter,  at  least  of  one  that 
I  have  not  answered,  and  which  you  might  therefore  with  reason 
insist  should  be  your  last.  I  have  been  gratified  to  hear  that  the 
trees  arrived  safe  and  hope  that  they  will  grow,  and  that  the 
seeds  which  we  sent  you  will  grow,  and  that  Hanway  will  take 
care  that  the  grass  does  grow  too  fast.  I  almost  think  that  I 
can  taste  the  nice  well  water  which,  thanks  to  Dickert's  perse- 
verance, is  now  at  your  command.  If  it  does  not  turn  out  to  be 
a  good  well,  it  will  be  a  great  improvement  upon  the  old  times; 
for  though  I  do  not  know  how  the  spring  answered  in  the  winter, 
I  am  sure  that  it  was  enough  to  poison  anybody  in  the  summer 
when  you  say  it  was  at  its  best.     *     *     * 

Judge  O'Neale  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  fixed  Mr.  Britt's 
papers  and  sent  them  to  Mr.  Poinsett,  but  I  have  not  heard 
anything  of  them  since;  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  I  will,  or  I  shall 


James  Louis  Petigru  189 

really  think  that  when  Rochefoucauld  says  that  in  the  misfor- 
tunes of  our  best  friends  there  is  something  that  does  not  dis- 
please us,  he  has  at  least  come  so  near  the  truth  as  only  to 
mistake  the  disappointment  felt  in  the  good  fortune  of  friends, 
for  a  sweet  pleasure  in  their  adversities.  If  the  mishaps  of  those 
that  we  call  friends  could  give  pleasure,  there  is  even  too  much 
of  it  at  present.  The  failures  in  this  place  are  very  numerous, 
and  one  man  (Mr.  Stoney*)  whose  case  excites  universal  sympa- 
thy. I  hope  and  believe,  however,  that  he  is  not  ruined,  but  it 
is  a  killing  mortification  for  a  merchant  like  him  to  confess  that 
he  can  not  pay.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 
to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  10th  July,  1837. 


*  *  * 


Well,  I  suppose  you  know  that  I  am  going  on  Friday  a  long 
voyage  all  the  way  to  Cincinnati.  It  is  against  the  grain  to  go 
at  all,  and  doubly  so  to  take  this  long  circuit  to  get  to  New  York, 
but  there  is  no  help  for  it  and  go  I  must.  I  will  write  you  the 
next  letter  from  the  new  capital  of  the  West — a  country  that 
when  I  was  a  boy  I  used  to  hear  of  like  the  Ultima-Thule  or  the 
Miamies  where  old  Steedman  went  soldiering  under  Gen.  Wayne. 
It  has  been  awfully  warm  all  this  last  week  and  dry  as  dust:  the 
4th  July  was  a  severe  day  to  me.  I  had  a  dispute  to  settle  with 
Dan;  it  was  a  very  severe  one — he  had  offended  Mr.  Cotes  by 
an  act  of  mutiny — cut  up  his  rattan  and  given  out  that  he  would 
resist  the  rod.  It  was  all  day  in  discussion.  I  felt  sick  and 
could  not  believe  I  was  not  so  till  the  dispute  was  made  up  and 
Mr.  Cotes  gave  him  his  hand.  I  went  then  to  the  Washington 
Society.  Mr.  Poinsett  was  there.  I  would  not  sit  beside  him. 
It  was  resentment  of  his  turning  his  back  upon  his  friends  at  the 
time  of  his  promotion,  and  I  confess  Mr.  Britt's  business  stuck 
in  my  throat.  I  thought  he  should  have  seen  to  the  behaviour 
of  his  subordinates  better,  as  he  knew  from  Judge  O'Neale's 
letter  I  took  an  interest  in  the  application.  Mr.  P.  sent  a 
friend  to  me,  but  I  told  him  plainly  I  considered  our  correspon- 
dence ended.  Though  I  ate  nothing  nor  drank,  the  noise,  the 
heat  and  excitement  would  not  let  me  sleep.  Last  Saturday  I 
took  a  little  holiday  for  the  first  time;  I  went  to  the  Island  and 
dined  with  Col.  Ton.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  meeting 
at  the  City  Hall,  called  by  Mr.  Fisk,  who  unites  or  is  desirous  of 
uniting  the  character  of  demagogue  to  that  of  Universalist. 
Before  I  knew  what  I  was  about  I  was  speaking  or  screaming 
with  passion.     Poor  Fisk  was  routed  on  every  side.     I  suppose 

*Mr.  John  Stoney  was  an  active  Union  man  during  nullification;  he  was  the 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Samuel  G.  Stoney,  of  Charleston. 


190  J^iJ^^  Letters  and  Speeches 

his  next  essay  will  be  as  abolitionist,  but  of  course  he  must  go 
elsewhere  to  enact  that  part. 

You  may  tell  Mr.  Britt  I  have  put  his  business  into  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Legare  and  have  no  doubt  he  will  get  his  pension  in  Sep- 
tember. 

*  *  *  It  is  a  lamentable  thing  for  me,  this  expedition. 
Money  scarce  and  I  in  debt.  I  wrote  to  Jack  McLean  and  told 
him  to  show  the  letter  to  brother  Jack,  to  whom  it  was  useless 
to  write,  that  if  he  came  here,  he  needs  expect  nothing  from  me. 
If  he  would  stay  where  he  is,  I  would  help  him  next  winter  to  the 
extent  of  five  hundred  dollars.  It  is  lamentable  that  he  is  so 
lost  to  any  sense  of  shame,  as  to  be  willing  to  burthen  his  family, 
without  giving  them  the  consolation  of  doing  any  service  to  him, 
by  the  drains  he  is  about  to  make  and  will  continue  to  make  as 
long  as  he  lives  upon  their  feelings.  Adieu  my  dear  Jane.  My 
love  to  Mary  and  the  children  and  cousin  Eliza. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Washington,  17  September,  1837. 
I  received  a  letter  from  you  and  my  dear  Jane,  which  I  can 
not  now  refer  to  as  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  it  out  of  my 
pocket  with  my  pocketbook  two  evenings  ago.  It  is  unex- 
pected to  you  I  suppose  to  get  a  letter  from  me  at  this  place,  but 
you  must  know  that  I  am  here  on  my  way  to  the  Choctaw  coun- 
try, where  I  am  obliged  to  go  on  business.  It  was  necessary  for 
me  to  come  through  this  place  for  I  had  enquiries  to  make  at  the 
offices  here,  respecting  the  title  of  lands  in  that  country,  and 
those  examinations  have  detained  me  longer  than  I  expected. 
I  did  not  intend  to  stay  more  than  two  days  and  my  stay  will  be 
a  week  on  the  19th  when  I  am  to  set  off.  In  the  meantime  one 
good  consequence  of  my  detention  here  is  that  I  have  secured 
our  worthy  neighbor  Mr.  Britt,  his  pension.  You  have  no  idea 
how  hard  it  is  to  get  anything  through  one  of  those  offices.  I 
went  in  to  the  Commissioner  of  Pensions  with  Mr.  Legare,  for 
all  respect  here  is  paid  to  official  rank,  and  the  word  of  a  member 
of  Congress  goes  far  to  ensure  a  polite  reception.  The  Commis- 
sioner heard  our  story  and  promised  an  answer  on  Saturday, 
saying  he  would  send  the  answer  to  Mr.  Legare.  On  Saturday 
I  took  care  to  call,  but  went  alone.  Mr.  Commissioner  seemed 
to  know  nothing  about  it,  but  sent  for  the  papers  and  we  went 
over  them,  and  in  half  an  hour  he  told  me  he  was  satisfied  and 
would  pass  the  claim.  Judge  of  my  astonishment  when  I  found 
before  I  called,  he  had  actually  written  to  Mr.  Legare  rejecting 
the  claim.  But  I  will  take  care  to  get  the  thing  fixed  before  I 
leave  the  ground  and  will  actually  enclose  the  paper  to  Mr.  Britt 
before  I  go  away.     To  do  this  I  will  have  to  stay  one  day  longer 


James  Louis  Petigru  191 

and  by  the  same  course  I  shall  hear  Mr.  Calhoun  in  the  Senate. 
That  gentleman  has  taken  a  most  extraordinary  turn  and  is 
going  to  make  a  speech  tomorrow,  as  it  is  given  out,  in  favor  of 
the  message.  All  the  members  from  our  State  will  be  against 
him  except  two:  Mr.  Pickens  and  Barnwell  Smith  now  called 
Mr.  Rhett.  Nothing  can  be  more  monstrous  than  to  support 
a  scheme  for  doing  away  with  bank  paper  and  of  course  with 
credit,  and  ruining  all  who  are  in  debt.  It  is  awful — it  is  so  sud- 
den— and  of  Mr.  Calhoun  so  unexpected.  However,  he  is  to  be 
heard  tomorrow  and  we  shall  be  better  able  to  judge  then  what 
his  scheme  is,  as  well  as  how  he  defends  himself,  but  at  present 
it  appears  that  there  will  be  a  fatal  breach  between  him  and  his 
friends  in  Carolina. 

I  left  Jane  and  Caroline  at  Newport  on  the  8th  instant.  They 
will  stay  there  till  October  and  then  come  to  New  York  and 
arrive  in  Charleston  about  the  1st  November.  I  will  probably 
be  there  about  the  same  time  or  a  little  after.  From  what  I 
have  heard  I  am  afraid  that  Tom  has  lost  his  crop  or  great  part 
of  it.  That  will  be  worse  than  the  loss  of  my  pocketbook, 
although  the  thief  took  off  all  the  money  I  had.  The  shame  was 
as  bad  as  the  sense  of  destitution,  and  my  friends  Elmore  and 
Richardson  lent  me  ?300  each,  which  set  me  up  again,  but  is  in 
these  times  a  heavy  loss  and  at  all  times  a  painful  one.  I  was 
kindly  received  by  all  our  countrymen  here  as  well  as  many 
strangers,  and  by  none  with  more  goodness  than  Mrs.  Poinsett,* 
whose  attentions  were  the  more  agreeable  as  she  asked  with 
interest  after  you.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother, 
to  thomas   petigru 

Washington,  18th  September,  1837. 
My  dear  Tom: 

*  *  *  I  have  just  heard  Mr.  Calhoun  on  the  Divorce  of  Bank 
and  State,  but  it  is  in  reality  a  divorce  of  Calhoun  from  his  little 
party  and  the  first  step  to  a  union  between  him  and  the  Admin- 
istration. He  made  a  speech  unequal  to  his  reputation;  in  fact 
I  think  Barnwell  Smith[Rhett]  will  make  a  better  one  on  the  same 
side.  I  have  now  heard  Webster  and  Calhoun ;  I  shall  not  hear  Clay, 
but  I  am  going  to  dine  with  him,  and  if  he  were  not  so  eminent  a' 
man,  that  might  be  considered  a  great  distinction.  I  have  to 
write  several  letters  besides  assisting  at  this  dinner,  and  then  I 
must  leave  the  city  and  drudge  through  a  long  journey.  As  I 
have  written  all  the  news  to  Jane  already  and  another  letter  to 
Lesesne,  I  must  e'en  make  short  work  with  you  and  with  love 
to  Anne  and  the  children,  bid  you  dear  Tom,  adieu. 

Your  Brother. 

*Mrs.  Poinsett  was  a  Miss  Izard  who  first  married  John  Julius  Pringle. 


192  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

After  nullification,  and  the  removal  of  the  funds  from  the 
United  States  banks  by  Jackson,  numerous  banks  were  estab- 
lished; credit  was  given  everywhere  and  a  rage  for  speculation 
in  western  land  sprang  up  throughout  the  country.  General 
James  Hamilton,  Jr.,  who  was  a  born  speculator,  could  not  miss 
this  opportunity  of  making  a  fortune.  Mr.  Petigru  was  already 
interested  with  him  in  a  rice  plantation  on  theOgeechee  River  in 
Georgia.  Listening  to  his  sanguine  representations  he  joined 
him,  with  some  others,  in  a  large  speculation  in  Mississippi 
which  was  known  as  the  "Ossawichee  Co."  It  was  this  busi- 
ness that  brought  about  Petigru's  financial  failure.  As  they 
were  both  occupied  with  the  politics  of  South  Carolina  in  1834, 
this  enterprise  was  probably  entered  into  after  that  date,  and 
it  was  on  account  of  this  business  that  he  visited  the  Choctaw 
country. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

[1837] 
*  *  *  I  believe  I  did  not  write  you  since  I  was  in  Washington. 
My  journey  thence  was  less  unlucky,  for  I  lost  no  more  money 
nor  broke  any  bones,  which  considering  what  roads  from  Louisville 
to  Columbus,  that  is  good  fortune.  At  Nashville  I  was  most 
hospitably  entertained  three  days  by  Major  Rutledge  and  his 
excellent  lady.  It  was  the  strongest  evidence  I  ever  had  of  the 
feeling  that  binds  Carolinians  to  their  countrymen.  They  cer- 
tainly did  receive  me  as  if  I  was  in  some  sort  akin  to  them.  I 
traveled  in  Mississippi  to  the  westward  of  the  Tombigbee  up- 
wards of  one  hundred  miles  on  horseback.  At  first  it  was  dread- 
fully fatiguing,  but  on  the  return  I  did  not  mind  it.  I  saw  much 
of  the  beautiful  Choctaw  country,  which,  after  all,  is  not  much 
better  than  our  own.  An  old  man  from  South  Carolina  ex- 
plained the  difference  admirably  well:  "This  country,"  said  he, 
"is  better  than  South  Carolina  now,  but  South  Carolina  was  a 
great  deal  better  when  it  was  new."  *  *  *  My  concerns 
in  Western  speculations  will,  I  hope,  be  in  the  end  a  benefit,  but 
at  present  it  is  a  great  hindrance  and  clog  upon  me.  The 
occurrence  of  anyone  serious  public  embarrassment  would  infal- 
libly ruin  me.  You  may  judge  then  whether  I  am  favorable  to 
any  project  like  the  sub-treasury,  under  which  there  is  a  great 
risk  of  the  total  prostration  of  credit.     Adieu. 

Your  Brother. 

I  ought  to  set  out  day  after  to-morrow  for  the  Legislature, 
but  will  not  be  able. 


James  Louis  Petigru  193 

TO    HUGH    S.     LEGARE 

Washington,  December  17,  1R37. 

Your  short  letter,  dear  Hugh,  I  will  answer  by  a  shorter. 
The  unanimity  of  the  Legislature  and  of  the  people  is  unnatural. 
It  is  a  forced  and  unsettled  state  of  things.  Mr.  Calhoun's 
triumph  is  complete  and  even  too  great,  for  he  has  crushed  his 
lieutenants.  You  will  see  Hamilton's  resolutions  on  which  he 
was  left  the  honor  of  standing  alone.  I  told  him  that  I  thought 
he  was  right.  His  local  or  State  influence  was  gone  and  he  must 
look  to  his  reputation  abroad.  It  is  only  by  the  reflux  that  the 
channels  of  his  credit  can  be  filled  again — and  it  is  his  character 
abroad  that  must  give  him  consideration  at  home. 

The  House  has  no  leaders  but  the  Rhetts  and  they  do  not 
lead  except  when  they  have  the  popular  set  strongly  with  them. 
Texas  is  to  be  added  to  the  subtreasury  to-morrow.  The  major- 
ity will  be  nearly  the  same.  McDuffie's  name  from  being  a 
word  of  power  is  significant  now  of  nothing  but  failure.  I  believe 
the  spirit  of  disunion  is  very  general  in  the  State,  and  if  it  suited 
Calhoun  to  take  that  ground  there  would  hardly  be  a  rally. 
Texas  is  disunion — they  mean  it  so.  Tired  of  New  England, 
they  desire  divorce  and  a  second  marriage.  My  consolation  is 
that  South  Carolina  has  not  the  decision  of  anything  in  her  hands 
except  her  own  character  and  the  selection  of  who  among  her 
sons  shall  be  accounted  the  worthiest,  at  least  in  the  State  House. 

Adieu.     We  go  home  on  Thursday. 

Yours, 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Columbia,  20th  December,  1837. 
I  am  sorry  my  dear  Jane  that  I  can't  go  to  Badwell.  *  *  * 
I  have  been  here  almost  three  weeks  and  tired  I  am  of  it.  My 
position  is  that  of  a  person  in  a  dead  minority.  Everything  has 
gone  for  the  new  scheme  that  Mr.  Calhoun  patronizes.  I  say 
every-M/'wj^  not  ^vtvy-body,  for  Preston,  Hamilton,  Hayne, 
Legare  and  I,  are  somebody,  I  think,  not  to  mention  other  names 
as  well  entitled  to  be  considered,  and  they  say  that  McDuffic  is 
very  sullen  though  he  concurs  with  his  old  leader.  I  made  a 
speech  and  have  even  printed  it.  I  will  send  you  a  copy. 
*  *  *  I  have  got  a  few  cuttings  of  the  Hervemont  grape  and 
some  others,  with  a  tew  seeds  he  also  takes  charge  of.  I  have 
received  a  letter  from  brother  Jack — he  has  bought  the  farm 
and  I  am  to  pay  540  dollars  in  January.  *  *  *  Poor  Chan- 
cellor DeSaussure  is  quite  broken  m  strength;  he  had  no  hope  of 
being  able  again  toresume  thedischargeof  hisduties  and  resigned. 
One  of  the  handsomest  things  the  Legislature  did  for  a  long  time 
was  to  give  him  a  year's  salary  in  advance,  so  he  has  ?3,500  to 


194  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

pay  the  debts  which  he  contracted  in  equipping  poor  Sarah  and 
her  infatuated  husband*  for  their  wild  goose  chase  to  China 
after  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  You  remember  Fanny 
Cooper,  that  was,  married  to  Joe  Lesesne.  They  are  in  Mobile, 
and  anxious  to  come  back.  I  voted  for  Joe  to  fill  poor  Nott's 
place,  but  he  had  no  chance.  Strange  to  say,  Joe  has  become, 
if  not  devout,  at  least  so  sober  in  his  way  of  thinking,  as  to  be 
strongly  suspected  of  Christianity. 

This  letter  is  written  in  the  Hall  of  the  Representatives. 
The  clerk  is  reading  a  long  rigmarole  of  names  and  the  members 
are  making  as  much  noise  as  the  idle  boys  in  a  country  school 
when  the  Master  is  out.  Do  not  be  surprised  therefore  at  my 
mistakes,  but  whether  quiet  or  hurried,  believe  me  I  am  always 
devotedly. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Columbia,  December  20,  1837. 

I  have  paid  Noble  for  his  land  and  send  the  deed  by  Mrs. 
Wardlaw  to  be  recorded  and  handed  to  you,  also  some  cuttings 
and  seeds.  Our  brother  Tom's  crop  this  year  is  very  sorry, 
indeed.  It  would  have  been  so  anyway,  and  the  storm  injured 
it  very  much.  On  the  contrary  mine  is  rather  the  best  I  have 
ever  made  yet,  tho'  it  is  no  great  thing.  *  *  *  ^  little 
plantation  is  a  sorry  undertaking  in  the  low-country. 

I  have  just  had  Henry  Lesesne  appointed  justice  of  the  peace. 
This  is  the  second  favor  I  have  asked  and  received  from  this 
House.  They  have  been  so  obliging  as  to  pass  an  Act  to  allow 
Reid,  tho'  an  alien,  to  be  admitted  to  the  Bar.  This  was  very 
considerate  of  them,  as  I  have  supported  during  the  whole 
session  very  unpopular  opinions,  and  been  on  the  greatest 
questions  in  a  very  small  minority.  I  hope  that  Reid  will  suc- 
ceed at  the  Bar,  but  while  he  gets  $1,000  a  year  I  think  he  had 
better  stay  with  me.  I  was  very  sorry  to  vote  against  the 
Speaker!  for  chancellor,  but  I  hope  he  was  satisfied  from  no 
want  of  respect  or  esteem.  In  fact,  I  wished  him  to  give  way 
to  Dunkin,  but  he  would  not,  and  he  was  the  only  person  I 
tried  to  convert  to  that  side. 

Our  low-country  people  are  desirous  of  having  a  Judge  below 
and  there  were  great  reasons  for  it  on  the  score  of  convenience. 
I  suppose  there  never  was  a  man  more  relieved  and  gratified 
than  the  new  chancellor  by  his  election. 

*Boone,  afterwards  Bishop  of  China.     He  proved  a  very  capable  missionary. 
tWardiaw. 


James  Louis  Petigru  195 


CHAPTER  XXII 

1838 

Mrs.  North  to  Teach  School;  Fire  in  Charleston;  Gover- 
nor Gilmer  of  Georgia;  Legare 

Mrs.  Jane  Petigru  North  was  a  woman  of  brilliant  intellect, 
strong  in  character,  and  of  commanding  presence.  She  posses- 
sed many  of  the  characteristics  of  her  brother,  but  the  basis  of 
her  character  was  the  absolute  unselfishness  and  constant  desire 
to  make  other  people  happy.  Well  knowing  the  ease  with  which 
burthens  could  be  packed  upon  her  brother,  she  was  one  of  the 
very  few  who  ever  tried  to  lighten  his  load. 

With  this  end  in  view  and  encouraged  by  sincere  friends  in 
Abbeville  she  desired  to  take  charge  of  the  district  school.  On 
this  question  of  schools  and  school  teachers  Mr.  Petigru  writes 
her  the  following  characteristic  and  instructive  letter: 

TO  MRS.  jane   petigru   NORTH 

Charleston,  January  29,  1838. 
My  dear  Sister: 

Bull  came  here  on  Saturday  and  delivered  to  me  your  letter 
of  the  18th,  which  I  have  read  several  times,  and  given  to  Caro- 
line to  read,  and  she  has  read  it.  And  after  all  we  still  think  the 
contents  of  a  very  stirring  and  important  nature.  *  *  * 
To  be  the  governess  of  a  respectable  female  school,  the  Madame 
Campon  of  a  village  seminary,  although  not  the  very  highest 
prize  in  the  lottery  of  life,  nor  even  the  most  brilliant  part  which 
a  woman  may  play  under  the  democracy,  (when  a  very  invidious 
distinction  is  made  by  excluding  them  from  the  benefits  of  the 
general  suffrage,)  is  nevertheless  after  all  depreciating  consider- 
ations of  that  kind,  still  an  honorable  independency. 

It  stirs  my  heart  toward  your  friend,  Mrs.  Wardlaw,  and  her 
excellent  husband  to  hear  and  read  how  warmly  she  embraces 
the  plan.  My  opinion  is  entirely  in  favor  of  it;  my  conscience 
is  satisfied,  too,  on  the  score  of  your  qualifications  and  abilities. 
The  great  point  is  to  ascertain  whether  the  patrons  of  the 
school  will  heartily  concur  in  it  as  an  arrangement  as  advan- 
tageous to  them  as  to  you.  For  I  would  not,  by  any  means, 
have  you  accept  the  place  or  rather  obtain  it  on  the  score  of 


196  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

favor  or  as  an  alms.  If  they  are  sensible  to  the  advantage  of 
having  at  the  head  of  the  school  a  lady  who  has  a  just  sense  of 
her  dignity  and  who,  though  not  brought  up  to  teaching  has 
character  and  capacity  to  govern,  they  will  prefer  you  to  any 
mere  professional  candidate.  And  I  would  answer  for  you  as 
soon  as  I  would  for  myself  that  the  scholars  that  are  committed 
to  you  will  never  suffer  for  the  want  of  attention  or  from  the 
influence  of  a  mercenary  spirit  that  looks  to  the  teacher's  gains 
as  the  chief  object  of  teaching.  I  know  from  experience  how 
vexatious  a  thing  it  is,  but  you  are  older  than  I  was  when  I  had 
to  struggle  with  the  indolence  and  stupidity  of  the  young  fry 
that  were  gathered  about  my  schoolhouse,  and  will  succeed  a 
great  deal  better.  Nor  is  there  any  doubt  that  a  school  at  the 
village  would  be  on  the  whole  a  more  pleasant  and  satisfactory 
life  than  the  out-of-the-way  farm  at  Badwell.  But  a  great  deal 
depends  on  the  commencement  and  more  still  will  depend  of  the 
progress  of  the  school.  If  you  should  get  few  scholars,  or  not 
give  satisfaction  you  would  find  the  exchange  uncomfortable. 
But  if  you  have  a  good  school  and  escape  contention  or  discon- 
tent among  the  parents,  I  really  think,  my  dear  sister,  that  you 
would  be  far  happier  and  far  more  usefully  employed  than  in 
your  present  situation  or  any  other  within  our  reach. 

These  are  my  views  and  if  the  treaty  should  be  entered  into  I 
will  feel  for  your  friend,  Mrs.  Wardlaw,  a  Hvelier  sentiment  of 
gratitude  than  any  lady  has  awakened  in  my  bosom  for  a  long 
time.     Tom  was  here  last  week,  but  is  now  in  Georgetown. 

P.  S. — If  you  take  the  school  I  must  send  you  globes  and 
maps,  and  a  teacher  of  music  and  all  such  things. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  one  of  the  members 
made  the  remark  that  "Mrs.  North  would  teach  the  children 
fine  manners  and  that  was  not  what  the  people  wanted." 
Whereupon  Judge  Wardlaw  instantly  withdrew  her  name. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  30th  April,  1838. 
My  dear  Jane: 

The  scene  before  us  at  this  time  beats  everything  in  the  way 
of  moralizing,  that  the  pulpit  or  the  tragic  stage  can  do. 
Charleston  may  be  said  to  be  no  more.  The  desolation  that 
reigns  in  the  busiest,  liveliest  streets,  the  rude  columns  that  once 
were  chimneys,  standing  as  thick  as  trees  in  the  forest,  and  the 
piles  of  rubiaish  lying  everywhere  over  the  ground  in  most 
unsightly  disorder,  are  miserable  memorials  of  our  fallen  state. 
You  will  see  in  the  papers  which  I  send  you,  a  detailed  account 
of  the  losses.     Some  particulars  I  may  add  that  would  interest 


James  Louis  Petigru  197 

you.  The  last  house  burnt  in  Meeting  Street  was  my  friend 
Magrath's.  Dr.  Porcher's  house  is  standing  like  a  sinner  saved 
— marks  of  fire  on  every  board  to  the  north — the  kitchen  blown 
up.  The  fire  was  finally  stayed  at  12  M.  in  Liberty  Street,  and  a 
blessing  that  it  was,  for  despair  began  to  paralyze  the  exertions 
of  men  as  much  as  fatigue.  I  was  there  of  course,  for  its  pro- 
gress would  then  have  been  to  Miss  Webb's,  and  worked  away 
till  I  was  ready  to  break  into  a  flame  myself.  In  the  night  from 
3  o'clock  till  daylight  I  was  at  Gen.  Hamilton's.  He  and  Mrs. 
Hamilton  and  all  the  family  indeed  but  Miss  Cruger  and  James, 
away.  We  sat  on  the  top  of  the  house  a  long  time,  looking  on 
the  ocean  of  fire  that  spread  before  us,  and  a  more  terrific  scene 
the  imagination  of  bard  or  painter  never  suggested  for  the  idea 
of  the  infernal  regions.  The  wind,  which  had  been  southwest 
changed  to  west,  and  that  change  it  was  which  saved  the  whole 
of  what  is  left  of  the  north  and  east  ol  King  Street.  The  western 
winds  carried  the  flames  down  to  the  water,  and  by  great  efforts 
they  kept  the  fire  from  Laurens  Street.  Immense  exertions 
were  made  by  individuals,  but  there  was  a  want  of  combination, 
a  feebleness  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  public  which  was  piti- 
able. I  never  saw  Pinckney*  till  the  next  morning  and  when  we 
were  struggling  against  theflames  in  Liberty  street  ina  narrowgap 
where  seemed  the  last  chance  and  where  we  did  in  fact  succeed 
finally  in  stopping  it;  he  was  looking  on  saying  that  it  was  use- 
less. There  is  no  knowing  what  will  be  done — wise  and  vigor- 
ous counsels  are  necessary  to  keep  this  place  from  losing  the 
very  name  of  town,  and  sinking  into  a  village.  We  all  think 
it  was  a  judgment  but  disagree  for  what  it  was  sent.  I  think 
it  was  the  boastful,  threatening,  and  insolent  convention  at 
Augusta,  where  we  were  making  such  ridiculous  promises  of 
what  we  were  going  to  do. 

Daniel  goes  on  Thursday  morning  to  Baltimore  consigned  to 
Mr.  Legare  who  is  to  take  him  to  St.  Mary's  College,  Maryland, 
a  Catholic  institution;  but  as  Legare  says,  for  the  improvement 
of  his  morals  I  am  willing  to  run  some  risk  of  his  faith.  He  has 
had  some  lessons  since  he  left  Mr.  Cotes  in  February  that  will  do 
him  good.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  hugh   s.  legare 

Columbia,  1  June,  1838. 
My  dear  Legare: 

I  wrote  you  yesterday  by  Express  mail — and  now  only  add 
unimportant  details  for  the  events  that  have  since  transpired. 
But  I  desire  that  you  should  know  that  these  proceedings  tho 

*The  mayor. 


198  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

most  offensive  in  form  to  Preston  are  in  reality  most  insulting 
to  you  and  Campbell.  For  they  have  been  adopted  under  an 
impression  derived  from  letters  received  from  Washington  that 
you  two  were  to  be  operated  on  and  might  be  made  to  succumb. 
As  the  wildest  supporters  of  the  right  of  Instructions  never  till 
now  as  I  have  heard,  pretended  that  the  Legislature  could  with 
propriety  instruct  a  member  of  the  house  of  Representatives  I 
regard  this  step  on  the  part  of  those  gentlemen  as  a  proof  that 
the  State  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  people  that  have  no  sense 
of  propriety. 

I  do  not  conceal  to  you  my  opinion  that  your  honor  is  con- 
cerned not  only  to  vote  but  to  speak,  and  with  all  your  power 
against  the  Sub-Treasury  bill.  Any  compromise  with  these 
people  will  be  regarded  by  them  as  a  triumph  over  your  principles. 
Rhett,  who  is  certainly  a  clever  man  (not  Jim  but  Albert) 
delivered  a  speech  filled  with  the  most  bitter  feelings,  and  the 
most  insolent  contempt  of  the  common  rules  of  civility,  and 
morals  that  I  ever  heard.  Denouncing  Hamilton,  Hayne,  etc., 
as  deserters;  and  proclaiming  the  sub-treasury  to  be  the  test 
question  of  the  great  party, — therefore  there  was  to  be  no  fool- 
ing or  talking  of  moral  scruples.  And  to  these  nefarious  senti- 
ments nearly  every  Union  man  (that  was)  set  his  seal  as  well  as 
all  the  nullifiers  with  a  few  scattering  votes  here  and  there. 

This  looks  badly  for  our  case.  Now  see  what  there  is  on  the 
other  side. 

At  a  dinner  yesterday  after  these  exhibitions  at  a  private 
table,  therefore  not  to  be  published,  McDuffie  denounced  the 
sub-treasury  in  unmeasured  terms  of  reprobation,  and  Hayne 
who  was  present  was  equally  bold.  A  few  of  us  put  Toomer  up 
to  wait  on  Noble  and  invite  him  to  be  Governor,  to  which  he  gave 
his  gracious  assent — greatly  to  the  annoyance  of  Elmore — who 
is  equally  anxious  to  be  the  great  man  for  2  years  and  who 
doubtless  expected  to  choke  Noble  off.  There  is  good  reason 
to  believe  that  a  reaction  has  begun  in  Richland  which  will 
make  even  Elmore's  election  doubtful. 

If  the  sub-treasury  fails  in  Congress  the  party  that  has  been 
hastily  gathered  under  that  cry,  will  as  hastily  disperse — and 
the  violence  with  which  these  men  have  begun  will  deprive  them 
of  the  power  which  they  have  shown  so  much  inclination  to 
abuse. 

The  Bill  for  the  relief  of  Charleston  passed  easily,  being 
turned  into  a  measure  for  the  increase  of  the  capital  of  the  Bank, 
and  we  are  all  going  home  after  a  week  of  great  excitement  with 
a  sincere  wish  on  my  part  that  we  may  never  meet  again.  Show 
this  letter  discreetly  and  to  none  but  Preston  and  Thompson. 

Yours  truly. 


James  Louis  Petigru  199 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Augusta,  19  August,  1838. 
My  dear  Jane: 

As  I  suppose  Tom  has  left  you  for  (jreenville  (anticipating 
the  time  when  you  read  what  I  am  writing)  this  letter  is  for  you 
instead  of  him  as  I  at  first  intended.  Two  disappointments 
kept  me  in  Milledgeville  two  days  longer  than  I  intended.  On 
Wednesday  night  the  stage  was  full  and  I  was  obliged  to  return 
to  Gov.  Cjilmer's  after  packing  up  and  waiting  at  the  tavern  an 
hour.  Again  on  Thursday  night  the  stage  came  crowded  from 
the  west,  and  it  was  not  till  Friday  the  17th  that  I  got  a  seat  and 
proceeded  on  my  journey.  I  was  quite  indisposed  that  night 
and  the  next  day,  but  arrived  in  Augusta  yesterday  at  4  o'clock 
and  am  now  quite  well.  In  the  morning  I  will  take  the  car  and 
hope  to  be  at  home  the  same  evening.     *     *     * 

I  suppose  Tom  has  told  you  of  our  expedition  and  of  the  grand 
crops  we  saw  on  the  Chattahoochie.  My  old  schoolfellow  Gov. 
Gilmer  and  cheerful  little  wife  received  us  with  the  kindness  of 
former  days.  He  is  indeed  a  primitive  sort  of  Governor  and 
exemplifies  in  his  own  practice  the  republicanism  that  he  pro- 
fesses. No  parade — no  show — no  silver  forks — dinner  at  1 
o'clock — the  afternoon  at  the  office  as  well  as  the  morning — the 
evening  reading  the  same  newspapers  as  in  the  morning — home 
at  supper  and  early  bedtime.  Such  is  the  day  the  Governor 
passes,  but  the  sincerity  and  honesty  that  characterize  this 
ruler  of  the  people  are  better  than  the  glare  of  a  court,  at  least 
for  us,  and  the  heartiness  with  which  his  little  wife  welcomes 
any  one  that  has  the  good  fortune  to  be  her  husband's  friend,  is 
the  best  commentary  upon  the  union  that  has  made  them  one. 
I  went  to  church  to-day,  and  have  made  out  with  less  ennui  than 
I  expected,  the  time  that  I  have  been  forced  to  delay  in  this 
place.  I  hope  that  you  will  agree  with  the  Trustees  of  the 
school,  but  if  you  do  not,  we  will  make  out  as  well  as  we  can. 
My  love  to  Tom  and  Anne  and  Mary  if  they  are  with  you,  and 
to  the  children  at  all  events,  and  always  dear  Jane, 

Your  affectionate  Brother. 

to  hugh   s.   legare 

Newport,  10  September,  1838. 
My  dear  Legare: 

I  perceive  by  your  letter  that  you  have  not  got  the  one  I  wrote 
just  before  I  left  Charleston.  As  you  are  so  near  us  I  do  hope 
you  will  come  to  Newport.  I  desire  to  talk  over  many  things 
with  you  and  to  hear  many.  I  suppose  you  know  for  Ben  Huger 
could  have  told  you  that  I  have  been  in  the  Western  Country — 
and  may  easily  conceive  how  much  I  am  behind  in  my  corres- 


200  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

pondence.  That  last  letter  was  written  to  be  showed  Alfred — 
and  to  be  taken  therefore  in  a  sort  of  middle  sense,  which  may 
explain  the  tone  of  it  if  it  falls  into  your  hands.  With  all  our 
friends  termed  sub-treasury  men,  it  is  impossible  to  contend  for 
principles  except  indirectly.  The  place  into  which  they  have 
put  South  Carolina  is  so  mean  and  discreditable  that  it  is  impos- 
sible for  me  to  feel  any  interest  in  her.  I  trust  them  as  I  would 
a  drunken  man,  with  whom  one  does  not  talk  on  business  at  all. 
It  is  necessary  to  wait  till  they  are  sober.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
whenever  that  time  comes  we  shall  be  commended  for  not  flatter- 
ing her  weakness.  For  your  comfort  I  can  tell  you  that  the 
whole  difficulty  which  Stuart  and  his  set  have  in  turning  you 
out  is  to  get  a  decent  candidate.  And  the  best  symptom  of 
the  times  is  that  no  sub-treasury  man  of  respectable  preten- 
sions is  willing  to  oppose  you.  Of  the  old  nullifiers  there  are 
hardly  ten  that  do  not  profess  an  extravagant  admiration  of  the 
sub-treasury  in  general,  and  of  the  specie  clause  in  particular. 
The  Union  men  with  a  laudable  zeal  for  the  truth  which  renders 
them  doubly  anxious  not  to  be  wrong  a  second  time  raise  a  still 
louder  cry  for  the  same  wise,  safe  and  beautiful  system,  so 
easily  understood  and  so  perfectly  proof  against  objection. 
Thus  we  are  left  in  the  city  altogether  to  the  commercial  classes. 
To  be  sure  the  majority  of  them  are  with  us;  but  it  is  only  a 
majority.  There  is  Perant  the  Fisherman,  now  you  know,  a 
considerable  man — a  Bank  director,  etc.  He  told  me  in  good 
earnest  -that  he  was  a  strong  sub-treasury  man.  For  why? 
Because  he  was  determined  if  he  could  help  it  not  to  pay  a  prem- 
ium for  specie  and  Treasury  notes.  He  had  been  obliged  to  pay 
by  you— two — three — five  per  cent  on  the  Treasury  notes,  and 
the  Specie, — which  is  a  great  shame — and  he  must  have  the 
Sub-treasury. 

My  wife  joins  me  in  entreating  you  to  come  here.  If  you  come 
remember  we  stay  at  Miss  Munford's — but  it  is  full  of  women 
and  children.  Whitfields  or  Potters  perhaps  would  suit  you 
better,  and  they  are  all  near.  Caroline  too  joins  in  requesting 
you  to  come  and  in  the  regard  with  which  we  are  always  and  truly 
vours. 

J.  L.  P. 

Strange  that  we  can  not  hear  who  is  the  new  Mayor.  I 
believe  that  I  will  bet  on  Pinckney. 

TO  HUGH   S,   LEGARE 

Charleston,  November  12,  1838. 
My  dear  Legare: 

Your  letter  of  the  29th  ult  was  here  before  me.  We  reached 
home  on  the  9th  and  I  am  trying  hard  to  work  out  the  con- 


Mrs.  R.  K.  Allston 

1810-18% 

Ner  Adele    Theresa  Peiigri' 

BY    THOMAS    SILLV 

1834 


{Facing  200) 


James  Louis  Petigru  201 

fusion  ofpapers,  business  and  engagements  that  I  have  about  me. 
I  have  seen  none  of  the  enemy  and  conversed  but  little  with  our 
friends,  Huger,  Pringle  and  Mrs.  Kinloch  and  her  mother. 
With  the  rest  not  at  all — having  had  no  interview.  But  as 
respects  your  resigning  I  can  not  conceive  who  it  is  that  advised 
you  or  intimated  that  you  were  expected  to  do  so.  I  am  bold 
to  say  that  you  arc  expected  to  do  no  such  thing  and  that  it 
would  be  a  very  fretful  act  on  your  part,  which  nothing  could 
justify  but  your  interest  or  convenience,  if  you  had  the  plea  of 
private  interest  to  set  against  the  claim  of  public  duty.  There 
is  no  fear  of  our  speaking  out  on  the  subject  if  the  enemy  should 
call  on  you  to  resign,  but  I  scarcely  think  they  carry  their  enter- 
prise so  far. 

I  was  told  you  were  vexed  with  Holmes.  It  would  be  throw- 
ing away  much  good  indignation  to  bestow  it  on  Ikey.  The 
temptation  of  a  seat  in  Congress  was  too  great  for  his  virtue; 
nor  IS  it  to  be  wondered  at.  I  am  sure  I  would  not,  as  his  friend, 
ever  consent  to  expose  his  principles  to  such  a  trial,  and  can, 
therefore,  feel  no  surprise  at  his  falling  into  the  snare.  The 
more  difficult  case  for  charity  is  Poinsett,  but  he  really  is  a  man 
so  made  up  of  deceit  that  when  he  deceives  he  is  hardly  con- 
scious of  it.  As  a  proot  he  could  not  comprehend  the  fuss  that 
Bennett  and  Huger  made  till  he  had  a  copy  of  his  letter  sent  him. 
He  now  coolly  observes  that  he  is  at  length  sensible  that  his 
early  letters  are  susceptible  of  the  construction  that  he  was 
favorable  to  your  election.  It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  felt 
any  interest  in  that  gentleman,  and  this  trait  only  surprises  me, 
as  it  is  a  proof  of  the  want  of  address  or  ingenuity.  It  would 
have  been  easier  to  explain  the  whole  thing  according  to  what  is 
probably  true,  that  the  order  to  show  you  no  quarter  was  a  con- 
sequence of  the  final  breach  between  the  Democrats  and  the 
Conservatives.  And  that  the  expulsion  of  the  Conservatives 
was  now  a  cabinet  question. 

I  do  not  see  that  it  makes  any  difference  whether  you  come 
home  before  spring  or  not,  except  to  your  own  feelings.  All  the 
troops  of  Calhoun  and  Poinsett  have  assailed  you  without  provo- 
cation, upon  the  order  of  their  leader,  their  hatred  will  be  in 
proportion  to  the  injury  they  have  done  you  and  upon  the  sight 
of  your  wounds  they  would  only  be  more  ferocious.  If  you  stay 
away  till  next  year  they  will  have  got  something  else  to  pursue 
and  may  even  be  inclined  to  forgive  you. 

By  this  time  you  know  the  result  of  the  New  York  election, 
and  there  is  great  joy  on  one  side  and  on  the  other  lamentation. 
There  is  no  man  that  has  more  reason  than  you  to  wish  the 
Whigs  success.  They  have  my  good  wishes  without  reserve, 
but  I  fear  their  rows  are  wasted  on  great  Jove.     Adieu. 

Yours  truly. 


202  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Milledgville,  17th  December,  1838. 
It  is  four  weeks,  my  dear  Jane,  that  I  have  been  here,  and  I 
write  now  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  while  they  are  discussing  tlie 
Sub-treasury.  My  residence  here  is  in  a  kitchen  and  my  busi- 
ness no  better,  for  I  am  employed  begging  people  to  cio  justice, 
and  though  it  is  not  alms  that  I  ask,  still  it  is  begging,  and  in 
begging  one  feels  as  humble  as  in  living  in  the  kitchen.  After 
all  my  pains  I  have  made  but  Httle  progress.  Last  Friday  they 
resolved  to  hear  me  in  support  of  Trezevant  and  the  next  day 
they  changed  their  resolution  and  determined  not  to  hear  me. 
All  that  I  expect  now  is  to  get  a  Commission  of  Inquiry  and  to 
begin  again  next  winter  with  a  little  vantage  more  than  this 
time.  My  old  Friend  the  Governor*  and  his  wife  received  me 
with  great  hospitality,  though  the  nature  of  my  business  pre- 
vented me  from  staying  with  them.  I  found  here  Pholoclea 
Casey,  who  is  no  longer  the  wild  young  thing  that  I  first  knew 
her.  She  has  joined  the  Methodist  Church  and  looks  mature, 
but  rattles  almost  as  much  as  ever.  Then  there  is  Mrs.  Pepper, 
a  niece  of  Margaret  Trezevant,  that  looks  very  much  like  her, 
but  loves  admiration  as  much  as  any  widow  of  them  all,  but  as 
she  favors  my  claim  and  recommends  it  to  her  beaux,  I  have 
great  reason  to  be  grateful  to  her.  Here  too  I  met  many  of  my 
Willington  contemporaries,  whom  I  have  never  seen  in  30  years, 
and  now  see  in  them  melancholy  marks  of  change.  *  *  *  j 
hope  you  have  directed  Mr.  Ben  to  send  his  note  to  Charleston 
for  me  to  pay.  By  a  letter  I  received  from  Mr.  Reid,  I  have  had 
assurances  that  Mr.  Ben  Smith's  debt  will  be  paid  this  winter 
by  one  Abbott  who  owes  him  money.  If  I  can  not  pay  the 
money  out  of  my  own,  I  shall  be  able  to  pay  it  out  of  yours, 
which  is  less  agreeable  to  me,  but  better  than  being  dunned. 
I  think  that  I  will  have  to  sell  my  plantation  this  winter.  It 
goes  against  me  to  do  so,  but  there  are  many  reasons  for  it  and  I 
hope  my  wife  will  be  reconciled  to  it,  though  she  and  Caroline 
dislike  it  both  very  much.  That  is  one  reason  why  I  felt  so  in 
earnest  about  Trezevant's  claim ;t  if  I  had  succeeded  in  it, 
there  would  have  been  no  necessity  for  my  selling.  It  is  still 
uncertain  how  long  I  shall  be  here,  but  probably  I  will  be  in 
Savannah  by  the  end  of  the  week  and  stay  there  a  week  or  ten 
days.  Adieu,  my  love  to  the  children.  Give  Eliza  joy  of  her 
lawsuit. 

Your  Brother. 


*Governor  Gilmer. 

fPeter  Trezevant  against  the  State  of  Georgia. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  203 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

1839 

Sells  Plantation;  Economizing;  Feet  in  the  Stocks 

The  apprehension  of  ruin  expressed  in  Mr.  Petigru's  letter  of 
1837  was  not  without  foundation.  After  bearing  the  burden 
of  financial  embarrassment  for  several  years  he  was  forced  to 
sell  his  most  available  and  most  remunerative  property.  On 
25th  of  January,  1839,  he  writes  to  his  sister  Mrs.  North: 

TO  MRS.  jane    PETIGRU    NORTH 

As  Tom  is  going  in  the  morning  I  wish  him  to  take  this  line 
to  put  you  in  mind  of  me.  I  wrote  to  you  when  I  was  at  Savan- 
nah and  I  suppose  it  is  the  last  you  will  ever  receive  from  me 
from  that  place,  for  I  have  this  day  sold  the  place  and  half  the 
negroes  for  ?55,000.  It  is  a  melancholy  thing  to  sell  from  com- 
pulsion, which  is  in  effect  my  case.  But  on  the  whole  I  am  much 
more  satisfied  since  it  is  over,  and  though  it  has  been  rendered 
necessary  by  my  Western  entanglements  and  the  result  of  those 
relations  is  yet  very  uncertain  and  may  ruin  me  at  last,  yet  for 
the  present  we  will  hope  for  the  best.  Tom  is  going  to  take 
possession  of  his  new  acquisitions,  and  I  daresay  he  will  buy 
another  pickpocket  place  before  he  comes  back,  but  it  is  a  great 
thing  to  please  one's  fancy.  Duvall  sent  your  note  to  Miller  & 
Ripley  and  I  would  have  paid  it  before  if  I  had  not  been  every 
day  and  all  day  engaged  in  two  Courts  in  very  exciting  law  suits, 
and  all  the  evening  in  the  office  till  11  or  12  o'clock. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  21st  May,  1839. 
My  dear  Sister: 

If  you  think  it  a  long  time  since  you  heard  from  me,  I  assure 
it  appears  no  less  to  myself.  Since  January  I  have  been 
very  much  hampered  and  of  late  showed  some  symptoms  of 
breaking  down,  but  thank  God,  I  am  on  my  feet  again  strong. 
Mary  will  be  able  I  hope  to  give  you  a  narrati\'c  of  everything 
about  everybody,  but  unless  I  am  mistaken,  the  very  journey 
that  she  is  going  upon  tomorrow  will  furnish  but  too  many  topics 
for  conversation    by   the   time  she  gets   home.     Our  nautical 


204  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

friend  and  brother  is  going  ofF,  without  having  written  to  apprize 
you,  and  as  it  appears  to  me,  without  making  any  preparations. 
I  feel  grieved  to  see  him  doing  things  which  would  be  laughable 
enough  if  done  by  a  person  one  cared  nothing  for.     He  is  at  this 
time  in  the  greatest  hurry,  without  having  anything  to  do  and 
at  least  without  knowing  what  he  is  going  to  do.     I  hope  your 
little  farm  begins  to  smile  and  that  you  have  a  garden  with  pulse 
and  greens  and  such  things.     Dear  sister,  if  I  can  get  my  feet 
out  of  the  stocks,  for  such  I  may  call  the  trammels  that  are  on 
me  and  about  me,  I  will  see  you  in  July  or  August.     But  I  don't 
make  sure  of  it,  and   if  I  do  not  come,  you  may  be  sure  it  is 
because  I  am  not  able.     I  rendered  your  account  to  the  Ordinary 
in  April,  and  have  the  pleasure  of  telling  you  that  I  now  have  in 
hand  for  to  pav  the  Norths  3,200  dollars;  by  the  time  you  hear 
from  me  again,  expect  to  hear  that  this  grievous  debt  is  dis- 
charged, and  that  you  are  clear  of  the  world.     When  I  can 
annolince  that  fact,  we  will  take  a  new  start— it  will  be  another 
beginning.     I  suppose  my  Caroline  has  written  to  you.     I  do 
not  know  what  others  say,  but  she  is  a  very  good  child.      For 
the  first  time  for  14  years  we  have  no  carriage,  and  at  no  time  in 
20  years  has  our  house  been  so  gloomy  as  at  the  very  time  when 
other  people  brush  up  and  look  as  smart  as  they  can  to  bring  out 
a  daughter.     But  she  never  grumbles,  takes  everything  quietly 
and  gains  more  upon  my  esteem  by  her  habitual  good  humor 
and  cheerfulness,  as  she  has  more  occasions  and  opportunities 
of  showing  her  willingness  to  submit  to  circumstances.     I  sup- 
pose you  know  that  Dan  has  reformed— a  very  great  reformation 
it  is,  if  I  may  judge  from  the  language  of  the  Professors,  and 
indeed  his  own  letters  show  that  his  sentiments  are  changed  very 
much  for  the  better.     I  count  it  decidedly  the  greatest  happi- 
ness of  my  life. 

Sue*  I  am  afraid  will  after  all  of  our  pains  turn  out  a  wit.  She 
writes  oftener  than  she  did,  and  her  French  letters,  though 
French  only  in  the  words,  show  that  she  has  made  some  im- 
provement.' She  affects  to  be  very  unhappy,  but  it  appears 
to  me  she  is  very  unreasonable.  She  sees  better  society  than  she 
would  do  at  home,  for  Mrs.  Drayton  patronizes  her  and  she 
could  not  have  a  better  model  nor  visit  a  house  by  which  she 
will  improve  so  much.  I  did  not  think  that  I  would  write  so 
much,  for  I  am  tired  with  a  long  dispute  between  two  widows — 
of  the  same  husband,  mind— whose  quarrel  by  some  fatality 
has  kept  the  court  (Judge  Lee)  off  and  on  for  a  month,  and 
with  a  set  of  prosy  clients  that  have  left  me  hardly  life  enough  to 

*H:s  daughter  Susan  was  sent,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  to  the  fashionable  ladies' 
school  of  Madam  Giyou  of  Philadelphia.  One  of  her  daughters,  Acelie,  married 
Dr.  John  Togno.  She  became  a  great  friend  of  Susan,  and  will  be  subsequently 
mentioned. 


James  Louis  Petigru  205 

write  now  to  you.     I  embrace    the  children   and  am  dear  Jane 
as  ever  affectionately 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs,  jane  petigru  north 

September  30,  1839. 
The  death  of  General  Hayne  has  cast  a  gloom  upon  the  sit- 
uation of  our  affairs.  His  loss  is  as  deeply  felt  as  that  of  any 
person  in  our  community  could  have  been,  perhaps  more  gener- 
ally than  that  of  any  other  man.  He  was  not  quite  48  years  of 
age  and  had  had  the  most  uninterrupted  career  of  success  which 
any  person  in  my  time  has  enjoyed.  He  has  left  five  children, 
two  of  the  last  marriage,*  three  of  the  first. f 

*Rebecca  Mott  Alston,  daughter  of  William  Alston. 
tFrances  Pinckney,  daughter  of  Charles  Pinckney. 


206  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

1841 

Marriage    of   His    Daughter,    Caroline,   to   William   A. 
Carson;  Dean  Hall  Plantation,  Cooper  River 

to  william  elliott 

Charleston,  6th  October,  1841. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

*  *  *  You  have  seen  that  our  friend,  Legare,  has  got  a 
place  in  the  commonwealth  and  I  have  given  him  my  clerk  who 
is  worth  all  the  abstractions  from  the  beginning  of  time.  Cap- 
tain Tyler*  is  an  oddity.  He  is  like  some  weak  man,  justly 
chargeable  with  superstition,  because  he  looks  for  an  infallible 
guide  in  some  book,  that  has  no  claim  to  inspiration.  But, 
what  is  so  ridiculous  is,  that  it  is  his  own  book  that  makes  this 
formidable  authority  and,  like  a  fool,  he  is  turning  over  the 
leaves  of  his  old  speeches,  to  ascertain  what  he  should  say  or 
think,  in  circumstances  which  call  for  the  exercise  of  all  his 
judgment,  and  of  which  he  had  no  idea  when  his  feeble  speeches 
were  made.  If  he  was  not  such  an  imbecility  he  would  resign 
or  go  over  to  the  Democrats.     Adieu. 

Yours  truly, 

Although  Mr.  Petigru  at  this  time  was  overrun  with  work  and 
harassed  by  business  cares,  his  attention  was  further  distracted 
by  the  marriage  of  his  eldest  daughter,  which  would  cause  a 
serious  change  in  his  household. 

Caroline  Petigru  during  her  early  years  went  to  school  in 
Charleston  to  Miss  Susan  Robertson.  The  cardinal  principles 
of  this  school  were  punctuality,  demeanor,  and  English  grammar. 

On  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  William  Drayton  she  was  sent, 
in  April,  1834,  to  the  school  of  Madame  Binsse  in  Varick  Street, 
opposite  St.  Johns  Park,  New  York  City.  Miss  Cruger  had, 
after  Madame  Binsse,  the  government  of  the  child  and  devoted 
herself  to  the  little  Hamilton  and  her. 

While  she  was  at  school  in  New  York  she  said  that  Miss 


*John  Tyler,  President. 


Ja?nes  Louis  Peligru  207 

Cruger  taught  her  her  fine  manners  and  the  finer  points  of 
social  tactics. 

Petigru  writes  on  the  4th  of  August,  1835,  to  Mrs.  North: 
"Caroline  has  been  sick  since  the  first  of  July  and  lost  the 
whole  month  to  her  school.  She  improves  every  day,  and  is  as 
amiable  as  ever,  but  not  so  pretty.  Her  improvement  is  equal 
to  what  I  expected.  They  say  she  has  a  little  music;  her  draw- 
ing is  very  creditable,  and  her  French  is  beyond  what  she  would 
have  obtained  at  home,  but  not  complete.  Indeed  sixteen  is 
not  an  age  to  finish  one's  education,  and  in  taking  her  from 
school  I  do  wrong  and  do  it  knowingly;  but  she  and  her  mother 
are  both  against  me  and  I  yield.  Perhaps  the  more  easily 
because  I  love  the  child  so  much,  and  that  I  can  not  but  feel  the 
influence  of  the  pleasure  I  expect  in  having  her  with  me  at  home." 

From  her  intelligence,  character  and  good  sense, — in  a  word, 
her  personality,  Caroline  Petigru  made  friends  among  all  classes 
of  society,  from  statesmen,  bishops,  lawyers,  doctors  and 
artists  down  to  the  humblest  menial. 

On  her  return  home,  under  the  direction  of  her  father, — which 
was  a  liberal  education  in  itself, — she  diligently  continued  her 
studies.  Being  similar  in  capacity  and  taste,  each  took  pride 
and  pleasure  in  the  achievements  and  accomplishments  of  the 
other,  and  in  time  there  was  developed  between  them  a  mutual 
dependence. 

Much  to  his  gratification  she  gradually  reorganized  the  Broad 
Street  household  with  some  consideration  for  his  happiness  and 
comfort.  Although  without  assuming  ofincial  control,  she  was 
by  tacit  consent  ever  recognized  as  the  guiding  hand  of  the 
establishment. 

It  can  readily  be  imagined  what  a  difference  her  marriage 
would  make  in  his  life. 

In  the  Charleston  Courier  and  Mercury  is  found  the  following 
notice  dated  I<>iday,  December  17th,  1841: 

Married  on  Thursday,  16th  inst.,  by  the  Rev.  Paul  Trapier, 
William  Augustus  Carson  to  Caroline,  eldest  daughter  of  James 
L.  Petigru     *     *     * 

As  to  the  origin  of  his  son-in-law,  William  A.  Carson,  the 
following  are  extracts  from  a  letter  of  John  Peter  Richardson* 
to  Mr.  Petigru: 

♦Governor  of  South  Carolina  1840-1842. 


208  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

Fulton  P.  Off.,  June  14th,  1855. 
Dear  Petigru: 

*  *  *  My  informant  is  Mrs.  Amarinthia  Carson  Nelson 
— widow  of  Samuel  E.  Nelson — and  first  cousin  of  William  A. 
Carson's   father. 

It  is  supposed  that  Carson,  like  my  grandfather,  was  an  emi- 
grant from  some  of  the  thin  settled  portions  of  North  Carolina 
or  Virginia.  His  manners,  his  virtues  and  intelligence,  must 
have  been  of  no  ordinary  character,  to  enable  him  to  marry  into 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respectable  families  in  the  district — • 
and  dying  after  a  short  sojourn  among  them,  to  leave  a  memory 
which  all  delighted  to  cherish.     *     *     * 

Carson  (the  great-grandfather  of  your  descendants)  married 
Jane  Frierson — the  daughter  of  James  Frierson  and  of  his  wife 
a  Miss  Gamble;  then  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  oldest  families  in 
this  part  of  the  State;  the  Gambles  being  no  less  so  than  the 
Friersons.  The  only  offspring  of  this  marriage  as  I  have  under- 
stood, was  the  James  Carson  of  our  own  recollection.  Left  an 
orphan  at  an  early  age,  by  the  death  of  both  parents — and  from 
some  cause  or  another  with  a  patrimony  much  diminished  below 
the  comparative  affluence  of  the  other  members  of  the  family — 
he  became  the  pet  and  protege  of  his  maternal  relations,  and 
among  others  of  my  grandmother — who  assumed  the  control  of 
his  education — and  placed  him  at  school  in  her  own  family  under 
a  Mr.  Mason  with  my  father*  and  uncles.  With  them  his  inti- 
macy continued  through  life — although  (from  some  cause  or 
another)  with  his  other  connections  somewhat  interrupted,  in 
the  days  of  his  after  prosperity.  Live  stock  being  then  the  chief 
staple  commodity  of  this  vicinity  (many  of  our  yeomanry  hav- 
ing their  thousand  cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills) — his  relatives 
jointly  contributed  to  make  up  a  patrimony  for  him  in  this  time 
the  relics  of  which  but  a  few  years  since  were  still  to  be  traced  in 
the  neighborhood — and  were  highly  esteemed  as  the  most  val- 
uable of  cattle  under  the  name  of  the  Carson  stock.     *     *     * 

Yours  very  truly  and  sincerely, 

James  Carson,  the  father  of  William  A.  Carson,  was  born  in 
1774.  As  a  young  man  he  moved  to  Charleston  and  became  a 
merchant.  There  is  a  notice  in  the  S.  C.  Gazette,  that  the  co- 
partnership of  Charles  Snowden  and  James  Carson  was  dis- 
solved by  mutual  consent.  He  then  continued  as  a  merchant 
until  1814,  as  is  shown  by  French  spoliation  claims,  when  he 
retired.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  clerks — Kershaw  and  Cun- 
ningham, who  in  turn  were  succeeded  by  Alexander  Robertson 
and  John  F.  Blacklock. 

*James  E.  Richardson,  Governor  of  South  Carolina,  1802-1804. 


James  Lolls  Petigru 

by  thomas  sully 

1842 


{Facing  208) 


James  Louis  Petigru  209 

There  are  other  notices  that  show  that  James  Carson  was 
director  of  several  banks,  insurance  companies,  steward  of  the 
dinner  of  the  Charleston  Light  Dragoons,  that  he  and  T.  Pinck- 
ney  were  managers  of  the  Jockey  Club  Ball  in  1 809;  all  of  which 
show  that  he  took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  city. 
Mr.  Petigru  always  spoke  of  him  as  one  of  the  most  courteous 
and  clever  men  that  he  ever  knew;  that  he  had  the  capacity 
before  he  was  forty  years  old  to  make  a  fortune  and  the  good 
sense  to  retire. 

His  tombstone,  still  in  perfect  preservation,  is  found  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  old  cemetery  at  Balston  Spa,  New  York, 
with  the  following  meagre  inscription: 

To 

the 

memory  of 

James  Carson,  Esq., 

Native  of  Charleston 

South  Carolina, 

Who  visited  this  place 

for  his  health 

Died  on  the  16th  of  Augt. 

1816  aged 

42  years. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1796,*  he  married  Elizabeth  Neyle,  born 
1764;  died  1848.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Samson  Neyle,  who  in 
1756  was  a  merchant  in  Charleston  and  also  owned  plantations 
at  Santee  River.     He  had  three  sons  and  five  daughters.f 

Samson  Neyle's  eldest  son  Philip,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine, 
was  killed  by  a  cannon  ball  during  the  siege  of  Charleston,  in 
May,  1780.  A  tablet  was  erected  to  his  memory  on  the  wall  of 
St.  Philip's  Church,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1835. 

Mrs.  Carson  always  preferred  to  employ  a  white  coachman. 
One  day  when  he  was  drunk  he  allowed  the  horses  to  run  off; 
the  carriage  was  overturned  and  she  was  killed  in  1848,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-four.     In  1805  James  Carson   bought  as  a  resi- 


♦South  Carolina  Gazette;  12th  of  May,  1796. 
tElizabeth,  married  James  Carson,  1796. 

Caroline,  married  Frederick  Sol(f. 

Harriet,  married  Herbemont,  S.  C. 

Mary,  married  Howard  Thomas,  Ga. 

Lydia,  married  Robert  Habersham,  Ga. 


210  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

dence  the  house  at  90  Tradd  Street,  corner  of  Orange,  where  Mrs. 
Carson  resided  until  her  death. 

James  Carson  and  his  wife  had  two  children — Laura,  1798, 
and  WilHam  A.  Carson  1800-1856.  Laura  Carson  and  Jane 
Amelia  Postell  (afterwards  Mrs.  Petigru)  attended  the  fashion- 
able ladies'  school  of  Mile.  Datie.  In  1 8 1 6  Laura  married  Henry 
Brevoort  of  New  York,  who  like  many  other  prosperous  people 
in  New  York  had  been  a  clerk  of  John  Jacob  Astor,  upon  whose 
retirement  Mr.  Brevoort  succeeded  to  the  business.  They  had 
three  sons  and  five  daughters  who  have  left  several  descendants 
fairly  well-to-do,  and  some  of  them  eminently  proper  citizens. 

William  Augustus  Carson  was  a  rice  planter,  good-looking, 
well  educated  and  entirely  a  man  of  the  world;  he  was  dignified 
and  modest  in  manners,  genial,  clever  and  entertaining  in  con- 
versation. He  occasionally  spoke  of  his  aunts,  Mrs.  Haber- 
sham and  Mrs.  Thomas  of  Georgia;  and  Mrs.  Herbemont  of 
Columbia,  South  Carohna,  and  of  his  cousins  in  Camden.  But 
as  he  could  never  find  time  to  visit  any  of  them,  the  connections 
were  not  kept  up. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father  he  left  Harvard  College, 
where  he  was  a  student,  and  returned  to  Charleston  to  look  atter 
the  interests  of  his  mother.  He  was  seized  with  the  fascination 
of  rice-planting  and  in  1821  he  and  his  mother  bought  Dean 
Hall  plantation  on  Cooper  River.  Previous  to  the  Revolution 
Dean  Hall  had  been  owned  by  two  Scotch  baronets, — Sir  John 
and  Sir  Alexander  Nesbit.  Here  they  probably  led  the  life  of 
country  gentlemen.  In  February,  1796,  a  race  was  run  between 
John  Randolph  of  Virginia  and  Sir  John  Nesbit  of  Dean  Hall. 
Each  rode  his  own  horse;  Randolph  won.  Many  of  the  married 
fair  ones  were  heard  to  confess  after  the  race  was  over  that 
"although  Mr.  Randolph  had  won  the  race.  Sir  John  had  won 
their  hearts  and  they  much  preferred  him  in  a  match  to  his  more 
successful  competitor."* 

The  dwelling  house  of  Sir  John  Nesbit,  which  was  burnt  down, 
was  on  a  hill  three  hundred  yards  north  of  the  present  house, 
which,  in  a  much  inferior  location,  was  built  by  William  A.  Car- 
son in  1827.  This  house  is  fifty  feet  square;  three  stories  high; 
with  a  piazza  all  around  supported  on  brick  arches,  the  roof  being 
of  slate;  the  walls  are  18  inches  thick,  made  of  old  Carohna  grey 

♦History  ofTurf  of  South  Carolina,  page  18. 


James  Louis  Petigru  211 

brick,  laid  in  shell  lime  mortar.  The  standard  size  of  these 
bricks  is  9  by  4'/4  by  1]/^  inches,  and  each  weighed  six  pounds. 
They  were  made  at  the  Medway  Plantation  of  Back  River. 
The  same  kind  of  bricks  were  used  in  the  construction  of  Fort 
Sumter. 

General  Cullum  of  the  United  States  Engineers,  who  had 
examined  the  masonry  of  the  Phoenicians,  Egyptians,  Romans, 
and  Spaniards,  said  that  he  considered  them  the  best  brick  that 
he  had  seen  in  any  part  of  the  world.  As  Captain  of  Engineers 
in  charge  of  construction  at  Fort  Sumter  up  to  1860,  he  often 
visited  the  plantation. 

The  durability  of  the  roads,  floodgates,  wells  and  other  con- 
structions of  William  A.  Carson  show  that  he  was  a  capable 
engineer  and  in  his  ideas  on  sanitation  and  drainage  consider- 
ably ahead  of  his  time. 

The  following  description  gives  a  good  picture  of  the  rice 
plantation  of  those  days: 

We  have  now  reached  the  "  T, "  forty  miles  from  the  city. 
The  main  body  of  Cooper  River  here  divides  into  two  branches, 
the  eastern  and  the  western.  The  boat  takes  the  latter  branch. 
Immediately  on  turning  into  it,  Dean  Hall,  the  former  residence 
of  Sir  John  Nesbit,  a  Scotch  baronet,  but  now  the  estate  of 
Colonel  Carson, — breaks  upon  our  view.  The  site  this  planta- 
tion occupies  is  very  favorable  to  a  viev/  of  the  river.  It  resem- 
bles a  well-ordered  village  more  than  a  single  plantation.  The 
residence  of  the  proprietor,  the  condition  of  the  fields, — the 
banks — the  white  and  cleanly  appearance  of  the  negro  houses, — 
the  mill  and  threshing  machine  in  complete  order, — all  excite 
a  strong  feeling  ot  admiration  and  stamp  at  once  the  proprietor 
as  an  experienced  and  skilful  planter. 

It  is  the  place  visited  recently  by  a  distinguished  nobleman, 
who,  after  scrutinizing,  as  was  his  wont,  with  an  inquisitive  eye, 
all  things  appertaining  to  the  habits,  food,  clothing  and  treat- 
ment of  the  slaves,  voluntarily  tendered  this  honest  conviction 
of  his  heart, — "It  is  impossible,"  he  said,  "for  me,  an  English- 
man ISir  Charles  Lyell]  to  say  I  am  a  convert  to  your  institu- 
tions, but  I  candidly  confess,  from  all  I  have  seen,  my  prejudices 
have  been  entirelv  eradicated.* 


'A  Day  on  Cooper  River,"  by  J.  B.  Irving,  1842. 


212  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXV 

1842 

Financial  Failure 

The  embarrassment  of  Petigru's  affairs  caused  by  the  adoption 
of  specie  payments  precipitated  his  difficulties  and  the  final 
disaster  came  in  1842. 

South  Western  Railroad  Bank, 

Charleston,  S.  C,  January  11th,  1842. 
James  L.  Petigru,  Esq., 

Charleston. 
Dear  Sir: 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  this  Bank  held  this 
day  I  was  instructed  "to  inform  you  that  at  the  maturity  of 
your  note  for  $9,602.56  endorsed  by  Gen.  James  Hamilton  and 
falling  due  on  the  17th  inst.,  a  reduction  of  the  amount  will  be 
required  and  also  that  some  responsible  names  be  substituted 
for  that  of  Gen.  Jas.  Hamilton. 

I  remain  very  respectfully  your  most  obedient  servant, 

Edwin  P.  Starr, 
Presdt.  Pro  Tem. 

TO   EDWIN    p.    STARR 

Charleston,  15  January,  1842. 

Dear  Sir: 

I  have  to  acknowledge  yours  of  the  11th  inst.  communicating 
a  Resolution  of  the  Board  respecting  my  note  falling  due  on  the 
17th.  The  indorser  on  that  paper  is  really  the  principal,  and  tho' 
this  detracts  nothing  from  my  obligation  to  pay,  it  may  in  some 
measure  account  for  my  not  having  expected  to  be  obliged  to 
provide  for  it.  As  my  friend  is  expected  in  a  few  days  and  it  is 
not  in  my  power  to  meet  the  heavy  engagements  which  I  am 
under  for  him,  I  will  ask  the  indulgence  of  the  Board  for  time  to 
make  a  specific  proposal  at  least  for  a  few  weeks.  It  is  not 
impossible  that  his  arrival  may  place  us  in  a  situation  to  do  more 
justice  to  the  kind  and  considerate  indulgence  we  have  received 
from  your  institution  than  is  unfortunately  now  in  the  power  of, 
dear  sir.  Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  L.  Petigru, 


James  Louis  Petigru  213 

A  letter  of  the  26th  of  February,  1842: 

*  *  *  No  doubt  you  have  been  advised  of  Sue's  doings, 
though  I  had  not  the  consideration  to  tell  you  of  it  directly.  It 
is  now  a  nine  days'  wonder  that  nobody  wonders  at  any  more. 
I  hope  you  like  it,  as  we  are  all  very  well  pleased  here;  but  when 
the  knot  is  to  be  tied  we  do  not  know.  *  ♦  *  These  are 
times  of  great  suffering,  but  I  am  told  the  race  course  was  as 
well  frequented  as  ever. 

"Among  the  calamities  that  have  touched  my  feelings  there 
are  few  for  whom  I  am  more  sorry  than  Mr.  Bullock,  of  Savan- 
nah, who  is  totally  ruined  by  the  success,  too,  of  his  own  policy 
or  that  of  his  party,  the  hard  money,  no  credit  system.  It 
would  not  surprise  me  if  a  great  many  of  our  public  men  on  the 
same  side  should  be  reserved  for  the  same  distinction,  and  be 
examples  of  the  superiority  of  party  to  considerations  of  interest. 
Everybody  is  pleased  with  Jim*  Rhett's  disgrace,  who  is  beaten 
more  than  5  to  1  by  Isaac  Holmes,  and  I  am  pleased,  too,  with 
Barnwell  Rhett's  election,  who  has  succeeded,  but  with  such 
difficulties  as  will  be  a  lesson  to  him. 

TO    SUSAN    PETIGRU 

Charleston,  April  1,  1842. 
Dear  Sue: 

More  than  a  week  ago,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  you, 
and  then  resolved  that  I  would  take  the  very  earliest  opportunity 
of  expressing  the  pleasure  which  your  well  formed  and  easily 
legible  character  of  writing  gave  me.  I  never  could  enter  into 
the  refinement  that  sets  no  value  on  a  fine  hand.  It  is  true  that 
no  embellishments  of  penmanship  confer  dignity  upon  a  mean 
style;  and  if  the  thoughts  are  not  liberal,  the  decoration  of  hand- 
some capitals  and  well  turned  stems  and  tails  never  procure  for 
one  the  praise  of  fine  writing.  But  the  same  thing  may  be  said 
of  good  words;  they  will  not  of  themselves  make  amends  for 
the  want  of  good  sense;  yet  without  some  command  of  diction, 
some  skill  in  the  adaption  of  language  to  harmony  as  well  as 
variety  of  expression,  wisdom  itself  would  suffer  under  the  re- 
proach of  rudeness  and  rusticity.  Be  not  ashamed  therefore 
of  the  merit  of  possessing  a  belle  ecriture.  It  is  well  to  aim  at 
the  highest  excellence,  but  not  well  to  neglect  the  subordinate 
and  secondary  virtues  of  neatness  and  external  ornament. 
Perhaps  I  am  needlessly  alarmed  by  the  fear  that  you  will  be 
carried  away  by  an  admiration  of  the  surprising  discovery  of  the 
phonetic  hieroglyphics,  which  the  fame  of  Champollion  has  so 
widely  diffused;  but  I  can  not  help  expressing  my  hope  that  you 


*Younger  brother  of  R.  B.  Rhett;  married  Miss  Haskell,  sister  of  C.  T.  Haskell. 


214  J^ije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

will  never  select  this  particular  for  the  subject  of  a  change.  In 
return,  I  will  allow  you  an  almost  boundless  latitude  of  inno- 
vation in  other  habits;  such  as  reading — studying — I  mean  read- 
ing novels  and  studying  amusements.  Aunt  Jane  does  not  go 
till  Monday.  *  *  *  We  got  to  town  in  good  time  on  Wed- 
nesday, and  were  in  our  house  at  7  o'clock.  I  packed  off  Nanny 
this  morning  by  Ma's  directions.  I  know  that  it  is  commonly 
impertinent  to  hope  that  Ma  is  better,  but  now  I  venture  to  do 
so,  and  I  think  the  extraordinary  revival  she  experienced  after 
the  faintness  brought  on  by  the  voyage  was  over,  will  excuse  me 
for  doing  so.  I  would  give  almost  the  price  of  a  monkey  to  see 
her  admiring  Jack's  tricks  as  he  climbed  the  rope  and  displayed 
his  antics  before  her  on  the  piazza.  It  was  so  new  and  so  gratify- 
ing to  see  her  amused  again.  By  the  mail  I  send  a  letter  from 
Dan,  also  one  from  Maria  Murray,  and  if  this  is  a  short  one,  I 
lay  claim  to  some  merit  on  account  of  the  others,  and  think  I 
have  a  sort  of  right  to  be  credited  with  three  letters,  tho'  I 
write  but  one.  I  don't  know  whether  I  shall  be  lonesome  after 
your  aunt  is  gone,  but  you  may  be  sure  Sue  (and  of  this  you  may 
give  your  mother  and  sister  a  hint)  that  the  recollections  of  the 
party  at  Dean  Hall  will  seldom  be  absent  from  the  thoughts  of 

Your  Father. 

P.  S. — I  don't  write  to  Ma,  chiefly  as  having  little  to  say  and 
secondly  because  she  will  get  a  letter  from  Dan,  and  it  is  fair 
that  the  Post  Office  prizes  should  be  distributed. 

In  the  next  letter  Mr.  Petigru  speaks  of  Stephen  Augustus 
Hurlbut,  son  of  the  President  of  the  College  of  Beaufort,  who 
studied  law  in  Mr.  Petigru's  office.  In  1845  Hurlbut  went  to 
Springfield,  Illinois,  where  he  became  an  intimate  friend  of  Lin- 
coln. During  the  war  he  was  a  Major  General,  and  distin- 
guished himself  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh.  After  the  war  he  was  a 
member  of  Congress  for  several  years  from  Illinois,  and  Minis- 
ter to  Peru.  In  this  letter  Mr.  Petigru  describes  the  funeral  of 
Bishop  England.  Some  years  before  he  was  engaged  in  impor- 
tant work  for  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  at  Charleston.  He 
refused  to  receive  any  compensation,  which  was,  indeed,  a  fre- 
quent practice  of  his  towards  those  for  whom  he  entertained 
feelings  of  friendship.  The  dignitaries  of  the  church  presented 
him  with  a  massive  and  handsome  silver  goblet  with  the  very 
appropriate  and  appreciative  inscription: 

"James  L.  Petigru.     Juris  legumque  peritus." 


James  Louis  Petigru  215 

TO   SUSAN    PETIGRU 

Broad  Street,  12  April,  1842. 
My  dear  Sue: 

If  Henry  Lesesne  was  not  in  Georgetown  and  the  Court  open 
at  the  corner  of  Meeting  and  Queen  Streets,  I  would  go  up  in  the 
steamboat  tomorrow  myself.  But  it  is  not  for  him  who  has,  in  his 
youth,  read  poor  Richard's  maxims  about  the  value  of  diligence 
and  in  his  age,  found  the  necessity  of  practising  them,  to  leave 
his  shop  a  whole  day  with  not  even  Hurlbut  to  keep  it.  For, 
he  is  to  muster  tomorrow,  and  even  Cogdell  can  hardly  be  spared 
from  the  Governor's  review;  so,  however  reluctantly,  the  struggle 
is  over  and  this  is  all  you  will  see  of  me  for  a  week  at  least.  It 
was  a  grand  funeral  day  this.  The  Court  adjourned,  the  Gov- 
ernor put  off  his  review,  the  bells  were  tolled  and  everybody 
gathered  at  St.  Unbar's  to  assist  in  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the 
illustrious  Prelate.  Protestant  curiosity  carried  it  over  protes- 
tant  prejudice,  and  the  seats  near  the  chancel  were  filled  by 
people  like  myself  without  a  breviary.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Post 
borrowed  one  of  one  of  the  nuns  and  Mrs.  Dana,  the  Rev's 
better  half,  showed  she  knew  Latin  by  keeping  her  eyes  upon  it. 
They  chanted  a  long  service  from  the  Psalter  and  then,  a  High 
Mass  for  the  Dead  followed.  It  was  more  than  two  hours 
before  all  was  over.  Then  came  forward  a  young  ecclesiastic 
and  informed  them  that  the  interment  would  take  place  in  the 
afternoon,  but  the  friends  of  the  deceased  wished  to  be  alone  and 
politely  retjuested  the  public  to  withdraw.  But,  although  the 
crowd  and  heat  were  so  oppressive,  they  showed  no  hurry  to 
be  gone.  I  thought  that  I  would  have  had  to  walk  over  the 
heads  of  some  of  them  to  get  out  by  the  same  back  way  by  which 
we  had  entered. 

Then  again  in  the  afternoon  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  or  Odd  Fellows 
turned  out  to  bury  a  brother,  one  of  their  order,  and  made  a 
grand  display  down  Meeting  Street  with  the  ensigns  of  their 
societies. 

At  the  Bishop's  funeral,  I  saw  none  of  our  Episcopal  clergy 
but  Charles  Elliott.  One  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  stran- 
gers was  the  Jewish  Rabbi;  and  Mr.  Fuller*  of  Beaufort,  who 
had  the  long  controversy  with  the  Bishop,  had  a  seat  among  the 
Priests,  and  evinced  by  his  tears  the  greatest  degree  of  feeling. 

The  letter  of  Dan  to  his  mother  was  sent  by  Agnes  to  the 
office  and  coming  without  a  word  of  explanation,  I  hardly  knew 
what  to  make  of  it.  However  obscure  one's  style  may  be  on 
other  occasions,  he  will  be  sure  to  be  intelligible  when  he  wants 
money;  so  says  the  Spectator  of  the  correspondence  of  an  Oxford 
youth  in  his  day,  and  our  Princeton  disciples  have  not  changed 


*Rev.  Richard  Fuller,  a  distinguished  Baptist  minister. 


216  -^i/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  part  of  a  liberal  education.  So  I  packed  off  a  Bill  to  Mr. 
Tallmadge  and  requested  him  to  give  Dan  money  to  come  home. 
The  vacation  begins  on  Thursday  and  he  will  get  my  letter 
tomorrow;  the  vacation  is  five  weeks,  and  we  will  probably  see 
him  here  by  the  end  of  the  first.  I  very  much  admired  your 
spirited  account  of  the  picnic,  and  did  not  find  the  latter  any  less 
agreeable  from  being  so  legible.  Signor  Ravina  has  indicted 
an  epistle  for  you,  which  (to  avert,  I  suppose,  any  suspicion  of 
abusing  the  Master's  privilege  after  the  manner  of  Abelard)  he 
has  sent  open,  and  in  the  same  way  I  enclose  it  to  you.  I  would 
fain  hope  that  the  famous  account  you  have  given  of  Ma's 
revival  will  not  need  any  qualification  in  your  next.  I  don't 
think  the  streets  are  any  quieter  and  the  little  Melvins  no  doubt 
miss  her  extremely,  for,  they  are  deprived  of  the  resource  of 
polite  conversation  which  they  used  to  have,  by  accosting  me 
every  day  to  ask  how  Mrs.  Petigru  is.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
Louisa  Ancrum  was  married  to  day,  but  I  have  seen  nobody 
that  was  at  the  wedding,  and  must  refer  that  and  all  the  impor- 
tant news  of  the  day  in  the  same  line,  to  some  other  time.  Mrs. 
Neufville  was  very  anxious  to  see  your  letter,  but,  as  there  was 
not  a  word  in  it  about  herself,  I  wisely  withheld  it  from  her 
curiosity.  It  is  10  o'clock;  I  had  no  notion  of  writing  so  much, 
but  will  desist,  not  without  love  to  Ma  and  sister  and  thanks  to 
our  Familiar  for  taking  such  good  care  of  you  all,  and  hope  of 
hearing  of  you  by  the  return  of  the  boat,  the  good  accounts  which 
will,  of  all  things  always  form  the  greatest  balm  to  the  feelings 
of 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

19th  of  May,  1842. 

There  is  nothing  like  good  habits  as  I  feel  from  them  that  I 
miss.  But  it  is  not  habit,  it  is  truth  and  sincerity  with  me  when 
I  write  to  remind  you  of  my  affection.  So  much  is  it  second 
nature  now  to  write  only  at  the  office  and  there  to  write  but  one 
sort  of  letter  that  I  began  this  mechanically,  "My  dear  Sir." 
*  *  *  It  is  said  by  people  from  Washington  that  Mr.  Cal- 
houn and  Mr.  Legare  are  becoming  cronies.  I  have  not  heard 
from  my  quondam  Whig  for  a  long  time,  but  in  fact  it  is  my 
fault,  not  his,  for  he  has  written  to  me  last  and  if  I  mistake  not 
more  than  once.  I  am  sorry  that  we  do  not  hear  from  the 
Constellation,  but  will  evidently  have  some  advices  of  her  by  the 
next  Chinese  arrivals.     [His  brother  Thomas  was  on  this  ship.] 

P.S. — I  have  come  to  no  conclusion  with  my  creditors,  but 
have  had  a  conversation  to-day  with  General  Hamilton  that  will 
remove  any  difficulty  in  my  broaching  the  subject  as  soon  as  I 
am  in  a  condition  to  make  a  specific  proposition. 


James  Louis  Petigru  217 

Among  Petigru's  papers  was  the  following  note: 

Four  months  after  date,  I  promise  to  pay  to  the  order  of  J. 
L.  Petigru,  Esq.,  Twenty-five  hundred  and  sixteen  -^1^%  Dollars 
for  value  received  at  the  Bank,  of  Charleston,  S.  C. 

J.  Hamilton 

This  note  was  duly  protested  on  October  15,1842,  and  on  the 
back  of  the  protest  is  the  following  endorsement: 

Note, $2,516.79 

Protest, 2.00 

Nov.  7,  1842,  interest,  23  da., ..        11.10 

$2,529.89 

Reed,  payment  from  the  endorser  Nov.  8th,  1842. 

C.  McKinney. 

The  endorsement  on  the  note  reads  as  follows: 

J.  L.  Petigru 

per  Atty.  Henry  D.  Lesesne. 
J.  Hamilton. 

TO  THE   PRESIDENT  OF  THE   BANK  OF  CHARLESTON 

Charleston,  30  June,  1842. 
My  dear  Sir: 

The  enclosed  is  what  I  have  been  about  for  some  time,  and 
now  submit  with  a  degree  of  resignation  not  unmixed  with 
anxiety.  The  question  really  is  to  the  Bank  what  will  the  assets 
realize?  To  me  what  can  I  pay?  The  mortgages  on  my  house 
and  the  two  lots  will  of  course  make  the  rate  of  payment  much 
less  than  if  they  were  free.  On  the  other  hand  my  proper  debts 
I  must  pay  with  future  earnings,  for  the  Oswitchie  loan  has 
absorbed  everything  I  had  that  produced  income.  In  view  of 
these  considerations  I  can  not  avoid  the  conclusion  that  even 
the  humble  dividend  of  10  per  cent  will  rather  exceed  than  fall 
short  of  my  means.  Yours  truly, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

Any  explanation  will  be  gladly  given. 

TO  JAMES   HAMILTON,  JR. 

My  dear  Hamilton: 

I  wish  you  would  have  for  me,  either  at  the  foot  of  this  paper, 
or  any  other  way,  a  declaration  of  the  fact  that  the  note  for 
upwards  of  $9,000   in  the   Rail  Road  Bank,  drawn  by  me  and 


218  Life ^  Letters  and  Speeches 

endorsed  by  you,  was  made  for  your  use,  and  that  as  between 
ourselves  you  are  the  principal. 

Yours  truly, 
1  April,  1842.  '  J.  L.  Petigru. 

The  note  in  the  S  Western  Rail  Road  Bank  for  Nine  thousand 
dollars  was  discounted  for  my  use,  altho'  drawn  by  Mr.  Petigru. 
Charleston,  1  April,  1842.  J.  Hamilton. 

A  schedule  of  liabilities  totalling  $105,544.36,  with  assets 
amounting  to  323,000.00,  is  given,  and  on  the  reverse  side  of  the 
sheet  is  written: 

My  means  have  been  absorbed  in  the  Oswitchie  Company, 
and  the  only  property  left  besides  what  is  on  the  other  side  was 
50  negroes.  These,  in  1840,  I  mortgaged  to  Hope  &  Co.  and 
Hayne  of  Hamburgh  with  the  property  of  the  Company.  To 
all  practical  purposes  they  are  gone. 

I  have  not  included  in  this  statement  the  Oswitchie  property 
in  which  I  am  entitled  to  a  fourth — because  of  the  great  amount 
of  the  debt  of  the  Company — and  a  further  sum  of  $100,000 
which  is  jointly  owing  to  Mr.  Coster  by  Gen.  Hamilton  and  my- 
self, and  forms  a  charge  which  exceeds  the  value  of  the  subject. 

This  exception  is  made  with  a  view  to  a  composition  of 
security  debts  on  the  principle  of  a  fair  distribution  pro  rata. 
If  there  was  any  probability  that  the  debtor  could  do  better,  he 
would  not  come  down  to  such  an  offer. 

30  June,  1842.  J.  L.  Petigru. 

A  memorandum  regarding  the  debts  of  the  Oswitchie  Company 
shows  that  they  amount  to  $225,000. 

The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Bank  of  Charleston  and  of  the 
Southwestern  Railroad  Bank,  comprehending  fully  the  circum- 
stances of  his  case  as  indorser  for  General  James  Hamilton, 
unanimously  agreed  to  accept  his  proposition  to  pay  ten  per 
cent  on  the  amount  of  his  indebtedness  and  release  him  from 
further  responsibility. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  19th  July,  1842. 
*  *  *  The  Charleston  &  Rail  Road  Bank  have  agreed  to 
release  me  from  40,000  dollars  of  security  for  4,000  dollars  paid 
down.  I  have  at  this  time  but  400,  but  from  this  day  I  must 
look  about  for  some  money  wherever  I  can,  and  must  get  from 
Tom  this  winter  all  he  can  spare.     I  am  in  hopes  now  that  I 


James  Louis  Petigru  219 

shall  clamber  over  this  mountain  in  my  path,  though  I  can  never 
expect  to  rake  and  scrape  enough  to  retire  as  I  once  hoped  to  do, 
when  too  old  for  the  stage.      *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

To  meet  the  losses  of  the  oversanguine,  or  imprudent,  Missis- 
sippi speculation  he  had  to  sacrifice  his  Savannah  River  planta- 
tion and  various  other  resources.     Still  a  large  debt  remained. 

It  was  a  terrible  calamity  for  one  53  years  old,  with  many 
claimants  on  his  generosity  and  love.  Yet  it  was  encountered 
with  manly  energy,  and  after  many  years  of  exertion  the  debt 
was  paid. 

In  this  hard  trial  of  his  fortunes  steadfast  friends  were  ready 
to  stand  by  him, — to  pledge  themselves  and  risk  their  fortunes 
in  his  aid.  One  of  these,  an  old  neighbor  in  the  city,  prompt  at 
a  moment's  notice  in  venturing  his  whole  property  to  stay  the 
impending  ruin,  thought  it  a  duty  first  to  consult  with  another 
person — -the  partner  of  his  household  and  life,  and  deeply  inter- 
ested, like  himself,  in  the  risk  and  the  result.  Her  reply  was, 
without  an  instant's  hesitation,  "Go  on;  sustain  the  man  whom 
you  had  taken  to  your  bosom  as  a  friend,  and  who  is  worthy  to 
be  so;  encounter  any  risk;  I  am  ready  to  join  you  in  meeting  the 
consequences,  whatever  they  may  be."* 

Mrs.  Petigru  often  delighted  in  telling  the  story  that  on  the 
occasion  when  Mr.  Petigru  sent  his  bond  to  Judge  Huger,  the 
Judge  immediately  threw  it  into  the  fire,  with  the  remark,  "I 
don't  want  any  bond  from  Petigru."  Such  was  friendship  with 
these  men. 

It  was  not  uncommon  for  Mr.  Petigru's  friends  and  even  for 
members  of  his  family  to  lay  the  blame  of  his  ruin  upon  General 
Hamilton.  No  such  complaint  ever  escaped  his  lips.  Hamil- 
ton was  essentially  of  a  speculative  temperament,  and  in  this 
instance  Mr.  Petigru  seems  to  have  allowed  himself  to  join  in  the 
speculation.  That  it  turned  out  disastrously  only  proved  the 
error  of  his  friend's  judgment  and  nothing  more.  It  never 
affected  their  relations,  which  continued  to  be  cordial  and  inti- 
mate. His  friendship  for  Hamilton  suffered  no  diminution. 
He  always  esteemed  him  an  honest  man  and  exerted  himself  to 
advance  his  children. 


*Grayson  Memoir,  page  141. 


220  ^^/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

At  the  time  of  his  failure,  General  Hamilton  had  a  meeting 
of  his  creditors,  of  whom  Mr.  Petigru  was  one  of  the  most  import- 
ant, and  he  was  employed  to  unravel  the  tangle.  After  affairs 
had  been  somewhat  cleared  up,  Hamilton's  friends  wished  to 
raise  a  fund  of  $25,000  "to  get  Hamilton  on  his  legs."  They 
consulted  Mr.  Petigru  on  the  subject,  but  in  answer  to  the  appeal 
he  replied:  "What?  $25,000  to  set  Hamilton  on  his  legs? 
Why  it  would  not  be  enough  to  help  him  to  sit  up!" 

The  following  letters  show  the  conclusion  of  this  unfortunate 
matter  and  exhibit  the  high  sense  of  honor  which  at  all  times 
governed  Mr,  Petigru's  actions: 

CHARLES    K.    PRIOLEAU    TO    PETIGRU 

My  dear  Sir: 

About  a  year  and  a  half  ago  (in  Novem.  1851)  my  mother  was 
called  upon  to  pay  a  debt  of  her  brother,  General  Hamilton's, 
arising  out  of  a  bond  which  my  father  had  signed  as  security  for 
him;  and  in  order  to  accomplish  it  she  was  compelled  to  sacri- 
fice the  single  small  portion  of  real  estate,  which  his  manage- 
ment had  left  her:  namely  her  house  and  lot  in  Bull  street.  In 
the  anxiety  and  distress  which  this  naturally  occasioned,  none 
of  us  thought  of  examining  very  closely  into  the  matter;  but 
recently  my  attention  has  been  attracted  by  the  fact  that  you 
were  also  a  signer  with  my  father,  upon  the  bond,  and  it  has 
therefore  occurred  to  me  that  you  might  be  equally  responsible 
for  the  discharge  of  the  debt;  will  you  be  good  enough  to  inform 
me  if  I  am  correct  in  thinking  so?  I  enclose  the  bond  herein 
for  your  examination,  accompanied  by  the  lien  on  the  house 
which  the  General  induced  my  mother  to  sign  to  secure  pay- 
ment of  the  bond. 

The  amount  paid  you  will  perceive  by  the  receipt  annexed  to 
the  bond  dated  Nov.  4,  1851,  was  $2,223.37. 

I  remain,  dear  sir,  with  great  respect  and  esteem. 

Your  obedient  servant, 

July  11,  1853.  Chs.  K.  Prioleau.* 

CHARLES    K.    PRIOLEAU   TO    PETIGRU 

Charleston,  July  13,  1853. 

My  dear  Sir: 

I  am  just  in  receipt  of  your  esteemed  favor  of  this  date  and 
hasten  to  offer  you  my  thanks  for  the  very  kind  manner  in  which 

♦Charles  Kuhn  Prioleau.  His  father  was  Judge  Samuel  Prioleau;  his  mother 
was  Elizabeth  Lynch  Hamilton,  sister  of  James  Hamilton,  Jr.  He  later  became 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Fraser,  Trenholm  &  Co.,  Liverpool,  the  financial  agents 
of  the  Confederacy  during  the  Civil  War. 


James  Louis  Petigru  221 

you  acknowledge  your  responsibility  in  the  matter  referred  to, 
and  for  your  proposal  to  return  to  my  mother  half  of  the  sum 
which  she  paid  out.  It  will  be  quite  agreeable  to  mother  to 
receive  the  $1,111.68,  whenever  it  suits  your  convenience  best 
to  pay  it. 

I  fear  the  General  never  would  have  paid  this  debt;  and  the 
parties  only  waited  until  it  was  reduced  low  enough  to  be  cov- 
ered by  the  value  of  the  house,  when  they  threatened  foreclosure 
and  we  had  to  sell.  Reiterating  my  sense  of  your  kindness,  I 
remain,  my  dear  sir, 

Very  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

C.  K.  Prioleau. 

When  Mr.  Petigru  was  over  60  Hamilton  approached  him 
with  some  new  visionary  scheme  for  making  a  fortune  and  asked 
him  to  become  a  party  to  it,  to  which  he  replied:  "No,  Jim,  I 
can  not  join  you,  but  I  will  subscribe  to  it,"  and  he  handed  him 
a  check  for  no  inconsiderable  amount. 

General  Hamilton  was  born  May  8,  1786.  He  was  drowned 
November  15,  1857,  in  a  steamboat  collision  at  Opelousas, 
Texas,  after  a  heroic  effort  to  save  the  life  of  a  woman. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  19  July,  1842. 
*  *  *  The  last  news  from  Washington  is  that  Lord  Ash- 
burton's  mission  so  far  as  Maine  is  concerned,  is  a  failure,  that 
the  Maine  and  Massachusetts  men  and  Mr.  Webster  himself  are 
unanimous  to  reject  his  Lordship's  proposals.  At  any  other 
time,  such  a  state  of  things  would  make  people  uneasy  about 
war.  It  is  believed  too  that  Mr.  Webster  will  soon  leave  office 
and  it  is  said  that  Mr.  Legare  is  one  of  the  greatest  men  at 
Washington.  *  *  *  Two  lawyers  have  within  a  week  been 
killed  by  drink.  Oliver  Smith,  so  notorious  for  a  certain  sort  of 
practice,  was  it  seems  equally  fond  of  money  and  carousing. 
He  went  out  to  drive  in  his  gig  and  was  so  drunk  as  to  be  run- 
ning his  horse  up  and  down  Meeting  Street.  T.  Higham  and 
his  wife  were  going  home  soberly  in  a  buggy  about  ten  o'clock  at 
night;  poor  Smith  ran  against  them,  struck  the  hub  of  the 
buggy's  hind  wheel  and  was  thrown  out  and  killed  on  the  spot. 
Tom  and  his  wife  escaped  with  the  fright.  The  other  case  is  a 
poor  youth  not  more  than  25,  son  of  Josiah  Taylor,  who  died  in 
his  bed,  having  already  drunk  all  he  could  in  a  lifetime.  This 
boy  was  a  few  years  ago  the  pride  of  Mr.  Coates'  school.  *  *  * 
Love  to  the  sisters  three  and  am  dear  Jane  for  you  and  Tom 
and  children  ever  Your  Brother. 


222  Life  J  Letters  and  Speeches 

» 

TO  THOMAS   PETIGRU 

September  8,  1842. 

I  feel  no  little  pride  in  thinking  of  the  pleasure  with  which 
I  will  have  water  drawn  when  I  see  Badwell  again.  *  *  * 
Poor  Colonel  Pinckney  is  gone.     *     *     * 

Tyler's  administration  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  godsend  for  people 
that  never  would  have  had  promotion  otherwise.  I  got  some 
letters  from  Legare.  He  does  not  write  so  frankly  now  he  is  a 
Cabinet  minister  and  knows  how  much  importance  is  attached 
to  his  sayings,  but  he  had  a  large  share  in  the  negotiations  in  the 
late  treaty  with  G.  B.  on  one  point,  namely,  the  Creole.  I  was 
at  Robertson's  this  morning  and  saw  some  of  your  marine  curi- 
osities, which  I  was  really  surprised  at.  But  I  have  great  fault 
to  find  with  you  for  one  thing.  You  declined  Mr.  Ravenel's* 
request  for  some  shells.  Now  my  dear  Tom  when  one  brings 
home  shells  if  he  is  not  a  collector  of  a  museum  for  himself  he 
naturally  gives  them  to  some  one  who  is  a  naturalist  and  has  a 
collection.  But  Ravenel  is  a  great  conchologist  and  the  very 
best  disposition  of  your  shells  is  to  give  them  to  him.  I  do  hope 
that  the  work  done  on  the  well  is  not  only  neat  but  strong. 

TO    SUSAN    PETIGRU 

Milledgeville,  17  December,  1842. 

My  dear  Sue: 

The  last  night  that  I  was  at  home,  I  went  to  Louisa  Gladden's 
wedding.  The  young  man  appears  very  respectable  and  I  hope 
she  has  made  a  good  call.  We  were  fellow  passengers  next  day 
to  Columbia,  tho'  I  saw  very  little  of  them.  At  Columbia  I 
found  all  the  world  agog  about  making  a  Senator  in  Mr.  Cal- 
houn's place  and  very  much  puzzled  about  a  Governor  in  Mr. 
Richardson's.  In  the  last  affair  I  had  little  expected  to  have 
anything  to  do  and  had  a  great  deal,  for  the  opposition  had 
determined  to  vote  for  Robert  AUston  whether  he  would  or  not. 
Your  uncle  behaved  perfectly  well:  he  did  not  like  Mr.  Ham- 
mond and  his  preference  for  a  private  station  is  not  so  strong  as 
to  cause  him  absolutely  to  discard  the  office  of  Governor  from 
the  list  of  desirable  things.  But  he  insisted  with  a  manly  spirit 
that  he  would  not  be  Governor  by  accident,  nor  give  any  ground 
to  suppose  that  he  had  availed  himself  of  a  momentary  feeling 

*Dr.  Edmund  Ravenel.  Dr.  John  Holbrook,  author  of  "Holbroolc's  Herpe- 
tology,"  and  Dr.  John  Bachman,  who  in  conjunction  with  Audubon  wrote  "The 
Animals  of  North  America,"  and  Dr.  Ravenel  were  the  scientific  representatives 
of  Charleston.  Agassiz,  on  a  visit  to  Dr.  Ravenel  at  his  plantation  on  the 
Cooper  River,  wanted  specimens  of  the  fresh  water  fish.  To  procure  them 
Dr.  Ravenel  immediately  had  the  water  of  his  reserve  drawn  ofl^.  This  en- 
tailed the  entire  loss  of  his  rice  crop,  but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  gratifying 
a  friend  and  showing  his  love  of  science. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  223 

to  carry  an  election  hy  surprize,  when  his  name  had  not  been 
openly  placed  before  the  })e(jple  for  consideration.  Under  the 
influence  of  these  sentiments,  he  rose  in  his  place  and  disclaimed 
the  nomination  and  requested  his  friends  not  to  vote  for  him. 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  he  got  78  votes  and  Mr.  Hammond  had 
only  84.  The  result  made  it  certain  that,  it  he  had  not  made  the 
last  public  declaration,  he  would  have  been  elected;  for  that 
declaration  was  received  by  many  as  an  intimation  that  he  would 
not  serve.  So  he  has  the  honor  of  refusing  high  office  on  a 
scruple  of  delicacy.  It  is  a  virtue  in  a  man  like  the  innate  sense 
of  pride  and  modesty  that,  in  your  sex,  will  not  suffer  a  lady  to 
accept  of  an  acceptable  person,  if  the  offer  is  carelessly  made. 
I  hope  that  he  will  never  regret  the  sacrifice  he  made,  and  1 
should  be  prouder  of  it  than  of  a  score  of  elections.  Since  I 
came  away  from  Columbia,  Judge  Huger  has  been  elected  Sen- 
ator in  Congress,  a  place  he  has  all  his  life  aspired  to  as  the  sum- 
mit of  his  ambition;  so  that  our  friends  seem  to  be  quite  in  favor. 
My  operations  here  are  not  altogether  unsuccessful,  tho'  I  have 
no  hope  of  their  being  brought  to  a  close  at  this  time.  It  was 
my  desire  to  take  Abbeville  in  the  way  home,  but,  sorry  am  I 
that  it  can  not  be  done.  *  *  *  j  ^ould  have  spent  Christmas 
more  pleasantly  at  Badwell  than  anywhere.  It  is  probable  that 
I  will  spend  it  on  the  road.  I  embrace  the  aunts  and  cousins 
and  am  Dear  Sue,  affectionately. 

Your  Father. 


224  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

1843 

The  Dowager;  Case  of  Jewell  &  Jewell;  Mr.  Legare; 
Marriage  of  his  Daughter,  Susan;  Lecture  to  Susan; 
The  Schultz  Case 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

January  6,  1843. 
*  *  *  I  was  going  to  say  that  I  had  to  meet  great  changes. 
A  grandson  is  an  epoch  in  one's  life  and  seems  to  place  him  fairly 
in  the  rank  of  people  respectable  for  age.  Well,  although  honor 
is  a  fine  thing  and  gray  hair  ought  to  be  an  ambition,  I  don't 
know  whether  one  is  not  happier  for  a  little  less  of  it.  To  be 
sure,  when  it  comes  in  the  shape  of  preferment,  as  to  our 
friend  Judge  Huger,  there  is  no  mistake  as  to  its  tendency,  at 
least  while  the  leaves  of  the  civil  chaplet  are  green,  to  increase 
one's  self-complacency.  The  little  specimen  of  humanity  that 
has  led  to  this  digression  is  for  certain  a  fine  child,  and  Caroline 
(Mrs.  Carson)  looks  as  well  as  ever  she  did  in  her  life.  *  *  * 
My  mission  to  Georgia  was  about  as  successful  as  I  expected; 
that  is  the  committee  appointed  to  investigate  the  subject  repor- 
ted that  Mr.  Trezevant  was  a  bona  fide  creditor  and  ought  to 
have  principal  and  interest,  and  that  is  all  was  done.  But  at 
Chattahoochee  I  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  the  negroes; 
at  least  thirty  of  them  on  the  road  in  custody  of  the  sheriff, 
taken  for  an  unjust  demand.  I  felt  very  much  like  fighting  and 
turned  them  back,  and  succeeded,  at  least  for  the  present,  in 
staying  the  ravages  of  the  harpies  of  the  law.  Don't  mention 
these  things  when  you  write. 

Mr.  Petigru  always  spoke  of  Mrs.  Carson,  the  mother-in-law, 
as  the  "dowager."  Mrs.  Carson  lived  in  a  fine  old  three  story 
residence  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Orange  and  Tradd  streets. 
From  the  News  and  Courier^  July  6,  1885,  is  extracted:  It  was 
built  of  black  cypress  and  one  of  the  best  houses  in  Charleston 
more  than  a  century  ago.  The  lot  occupied  about  half  the 
block  on  Tradd  street.  It  was  the  property  of  John  Stuart,  the 
Indian  agent  of  his  Majesty  in  the  Southern  provinces.  Here 
was  born  his  son.  General  Sir  John  Stuart,  who  afterwards  dis- 


James  Louis  Petigru  22S 

tinguished  himself  by  defeating  the  French  troops  in  Calabria, 
and  was  knighted  for  his  gallantry.  The  Beaufort  family  of 
Stuarts  are  descended  from  a  brother  of  John  Stuart. 

The  house  came  into  the  possession  of  James  Carson  in  1805, 
and  years  afterwards  it  was  known  as  "the  headquarters  of  the 
Corner  Club,"  a  coterie  of  old  ladies  who  were  mostly  widows, 
whist-players,  tea-drinkers,  and  talkers. 

TO  MRS,  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  23d  March,  1843. 
My  dear  Jane: 

Our  poor  friend  Dr.  North  is  to  be  buried  at  5  this  afternoon. 
His  death  was  surprisingly  sudden.  In  my  last  interview  with 
him  (which  was  at  Gray's)  he  was  more  serious  than  usual,  but 
I  attributed  it  to  the  business  on  which  we  met,  which  was  the 
sale  of  Gen.  Hamilton's  plantation,  in  which  he  was  interested 
to  the  extent  of  20,000  dollars,  Mrs.  North's  money,  which  the 
Gen.  borrowed.  He  has  left  no  will.  This  is  a  hardship  to 
poor  Emily,  who  is  quite  unprovided  for.  I  had  great  doubts 
after  poor  Thurston's  death,  whether  we  ought  not  to  return  to 
Mrs.  Thurston  the  900  dollars,  that  he  gave  to  the  girls  and 
which  is  in  my  name  as  Trustee.  But  I  did  not  propose  it  then, 
on  the  ground  that  the  Doctor  would  make  it  up  to  her.  As 
that  expectation  has  failed,  I  do  not  doubt  my  sister,  that  you 
will  concur  with  me  in  thinking  that  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to 
transfer  those  shares  which  have  never  been  touched  and  which 
are  the  proceeds  of  this  gift  to  his  family.     *     *     * 

So  is  life  checkered — today  a  funeral  and  this  day  week  a 
wedding.*  It  is  time  to  go  to  the  funeral  and  I  will  close  this 
after  my  return.  The  relations  are  to  meet  at  the  church. 
There  never  was  more  sympathy  evinced  by  the  public  than 
they  feel  for  the  Doctor.  The  number  of  his  patients  assembled 
in  Archdale  Street  to  pay  the  last  tribute  to  his  memory,  was 
beyond  what  I  expected,  and  one  would  have  thought  that  the 
coloured  people  felt  that  they  had  lost  a  friend  from  the  con- 
course that  was  there.  Everybody  speaks  of  his  amenity,  his 
easy,  agreeable  manners  and  the  freedom  from  the  least  dispo- 
sition to  wound  anybody's  self  love.  In  personal  popularity,  he 
has  probably  not  left  his  equal  in  the  whole  State.     *     *     * 

My  new  vow  is  to  dine  at  the  office,  and  it  is  a  fact  I  make  my 
dinner  on  herring,  some  salad  and  rice.  Sometimes  (indeed 
today)  I  break  through  the  rules  by  spinage  with  egg, 
and  I  have  a  bit  of  roast  on  Sunday.     It  is  the  first  time  I  have 


*0f  his  daughter  Susan. 


226  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

set  about  keeping  Lent  and  I  think  I  will  hereafter  adhere  to  it. 
Love  to  Mary  and  little  Louise  and  am  dear  Jane, 

Your  Brother. 

On  April  3d,  1843,  the  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Charles-  i 

ton  Courier:  '' 

Married  on  Thursday,  30th  of  March,  by  the  Reverend  Paul 
Trapier — Henry  C.  King  to  Susan,  youngest  daughter  of  James 
L.  Petigru,  Esq. 

Henry  C.  King  was  the  third  son  of  Mr.  Petigru's  friend  Judge 
Mitchell  King.  After  being  educated  in  Germany  he  read  law 
in  the  office  of  Mr.  Petigru  and  in  1851  was  taken  into  the  firm. 
He  was  a  man  more  noted  for  his  manliness,  kindness  of  heart 
and  geniality  than  for  ambition  to  shine  in  his  profession,  being 
overshadowed  by  the  brilliancy  of  his  partner.  He  was  an 
extremely  good  lawyer,  but  seldom  appeared  in  court,  and  de- 
voted himself  to  the  details  of  the  office.  Many  of  the  students 
used  to  say  that  they  learned  much  more  law  from  him  than  they 
ever  did  from  Mr.  Petigru.  He  was  killed  while  in  command  of 
his  company  at  the  battle  of  Secessionville,  on  James  Island. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

April  23,  1843. 
I  have  had  much  trouble  in  Court.  The  great  case  of  Jewell 
&  Jewell  was  to  be  tried  and  with  a  heavy  heart  I  entered  into  a 
cause  in  the  justice  of  which  I  have  full  confidence  and  scarcely 
a  hope  of  success.  Things  went  on  worse  and  worse  till  I  came 
to  the  resolution  to  take  a  non-suit  and  commence  again  in  the 
State  Court.  But  it  made  me  sick  and  I  believe  I  suffered  for  a 
time  more  by  losing  the  case  than  I  did  by  losing  all  I  was  worth, 
something  over  a  year  ago.  *  *  *  y{r.  Legare  is  here  on  a 
short  visit,  and  if  there  is  any  change  in  him  it  is  for  the  better. 
He  came  into  my  office  yesterday  just  as  I  had  received  a  letter 
from  the  new  collector  of  Savannah,  Colonel  Myers,  telling  me 
he  would  remove  "John  Postell  because  he  was  a  Whig."  I 
showed  the  letter  to  him  and  he  immediately  wrote  not  only  to 
the  collector,  but  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  terms  of 
earnestness  which  I  think  will  save  poor  John  from  the  uplifted 
axe.  I  think  when  Ma  comes  to  hear  of  this  trait  she  will  find 
Mr.  Legare  very  much  raised  in  her  estimation. 

TO   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Columbia,  11  May,  1843. 
I  believe  you  are  in  George  Street  dear  Sue,  because  that  was 


James  Louis  Petigru  227 

your  intention  and  besides  it  is  told  me  by  Mr.  King,  and  I  hope 
your  good  behaviour  will  be  equal  to  the  kind  reception  which 
your  allies  have  given  you.     I  have  often  said  that  I  should  be 
as  much  chagrined  to  turn  a  bad  wife  out  of  my  nursery,  as  to 
send  a  student  from  the  office  to  be  rejected.    But  it  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  my  feelings  are  expressed  by  the  comparison. 
When  I  consider  what  a  sweet  child  you  were,  so  docile,  so  gentle 
and  so  lively,  as  to  get  the  imputation  of  being  Pa's  pet,  I  can 
not  doubt  that  your  better  feelings  will  resume  the  ascendant 
and  that  you  will  place  your  love  of  distinction  upon  the  doing 
of  what  is  right.     If  one  is  to  be  proud  of  any  thing,  it  should  be 
of  self  control,  and  of  acting  well.     Even  if  one  had  no  instinc- 
tive love  of  excellence,  and  was  to  form  one's  behaviour  with 
reference  only  to  the  enjoyment  of  the  greatest  degree  of  satis- 
faction, it  would  be  one's  interest  to  consult  in  the  first  place  the 
happiness  of  those  who  are  influenced  by  one's  way  of  conduct- 
ing.    The  proof  of  this  is  seen  in  the  effect,  which  politeness  has 
on  those  who  are  attentive  to  its  rules.     For  politeness  is  nothing 
more  than  habitual  consideration  for  the  f^eelings  of  those  we 
converse  with  and  the  making  it  a  rule  never  to  give  ourselves  the 
preference.     Yet  every  one  may  see  that  those  persons,  whose 
good  breeding  leads  them  to  consult  the  feelings  of  others,  enjoy 
far  more  consideration  than  if  they  showed  by  their  manners 
that  their  object  was  to  gratify  themselves.     And  that  which  is 
true  in  the  lesser  morals,  is  also  true  in  the  great  virtues.     For,  as 
they  that  give  themselves  the  preference,  are  most  apt  to  be 
slighted,  so,  those  who  do  not  cultivate  the  virtues  of  justice  and 
benevolence,  can   not  enjoy  their  own  minds  in  peace.     The 
things,  which  make  one  worthy  of  the  esteem  of  others  are  the 
same  which  secure  to  us  our  own  esteem,  without  which  life  can 
scarcely  be  tolerable.     The  instances  which  come  under  our  own 
eyes  of  persons  who,  after  tormenting  others,  become  like  poor 
Mrs.  McRee,  their  own  executioners  and  go  mad  from  sheer  ill 
nature  and  peevishness,  should  speak  a  terrible  warning  to  all 
that  are  sensible  of  any  infirmity  of  temper.     I  confess  my  dear 
Sue,  that  I  was  grieved  when  I  heard  you  some  days  ago,  under 
the  influence  of  a  slight  vexation,  express  pleasure  in  the  pros- 
pect of  giving  poor  Anne  Deas  as  much  trouble  as  you  could  in 
the  alterations  of  the  dress  which  displeased  you.     I  had  not  the 
opportunity  then  of  letting  you  know  the  painful  impression 
this  made  on  me,  and  tho'  she  is  a  humble  individual  and  I  dare 
say  you  did  not  in  fact  use  your  power  to  annoy  her,  my  affec- 
tion was  wounded  by  a  momentary  display  of  a  feeling  that  ren- 
dered you  less  worthy  of  esteem.     Perhaps  the  homily  is  too 
long,  but  I  would  rather  say  many  words  after  the  occasion  of 
offense  is  past,  than  run  the  risk  of  irritating  the  ebulition  that 
I  regretted.     I  have  just  got  a  letter  from  your  mother.     And 
oh,  such  a  letter!     Sally  Ford  comes  in  for  her  full  share,  because 


228  Ltje^  Letters  and  Speeches 

unfortunately,  I  wrote  while  she  was  in  the  house,  that  we  would 
miss  her  when  she  went  away.  T  came  here  sick  and  was  so  a 
week,  but  I  am  well  now.  It  is  rather  an  idle  life  that  we  are 
leading  here  and  unprofitable.  The  Dowager  has  just  written 
to  me  that  she  will  be  here  on  Saturday,  and  stay  till  Monday. 
If  green  trees  and  trim  gardens  make  town  life  agreeable,  Colum- 
bia has  a  fair  claim  to  the  friendship  of  its  visitors.  Indeed,  I 
think  it,  in  spite  of  all  college  associations,  a  very  pretty  place; 
at  the  same  time  one  must  confess  it  is  rather  a  dull  one.  Our 
friend  Nathan  Davis  is  here  a  practitioner  of  the  law,  and  as  it 
is  said,  an  admirer  of  Miss  Kate  Hampton,  but,  from  what  I 
heard  at  Mr.  Hampton's,  where  I  spent  last  Sunday,  I  am  rather 
of  opinion  that  the  Reciprocity  is  all  on  one  side.  Adieu  dear 
Sue,  my  parental  salutations  attend  on  you  and  Henry. 

Your  Father. 

P.  S. — Your  watch  has  done  marvelously  well.  Till  yesterday 
it  went  like  a  soldier  on  drill.  At  present  it  has  taken  a  start  and 
is  a  full  hour  ahead  of  every  watch  in  town.  I  don't  think  I  will 
be  home  for  a  week. 

Oration  at  Fort  Moultrie,  Sullivan's  Island,  June  28, 1844 

From  the  Charleston  Courier^  July  4,  1844. 

History  is  justly  entitled  to  the  first  place  in  the  list  of  human 
sciences.  The  future  is  unknown,  and  the  present  bounded  by 
the  very  narrow  circle  of  our  senses;  but  the  past  is  an  immense 
field,  where  every  faculty  finds  employment,  and  from  which 
both  old  and  young  obtain  the  instruction  by  which  reason  is 
invigorated  and  judgement  is  matured.  Happy  are  they  who 
can  profit  by  the  experience  of  others — happy  are  the  people 
who  can  appeal  to  their  own  history  for  examples  of  virtue 
and  models  of  imitation.  Nor  is  every  people  so  distinguished. 
For  when  we  look  back  to  the  beginning  of  history,  some 
few  ages  stand  out  in  bold  relief;  but  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
past,  undistinguished  by  the  broad  expanse,  is  hid  from  our 
view  by  a  veil  as  deep  as  that  which  hangs  over  futurity.  It  is 
not  everywhere,  nor  in  every  age  that  men  have  risen  to  the 
distinction  of  furnishing  to  after  times  an  incentive  to  virtue  in 
the  honor  connected  with  their  names.  But  to  a  people  who 
possess  a  history  illustrated  by  the  virtues  of  their  ancestors,  no 
duty  can  be  more  agreeable  than  the  preservation  of  their  ances- 
tral fame.  In  all  ages  pilgrims  have  repaired  with  pious  zeal 
to  the  cradle  of  religion  and  have  felt  their  faith  confirmed,  and 
their  hearts  warmed  and  purified  by  the  contemplation  of  scenes 
and  objects  connected  with  sacred  history. 

Nor  is  it  less  natural  to  mingle  the  sentiments  of  patriotism 


James  Louis  Petigru  229 

with  those  of  reverence  and  admiration,  and  to  recur  with  a 
fond  pride  to  the  times  and  places  rendered  memorable  by  the 
toils  or  the  triumphs  of  our  countrymen.  Such  is  the  sentiment 
which  leads  the  inhabitants  of  Sullivan's  Island  to  celebrate  this 
day.  Nor  is  the  ground  on  which  we  stand  devoid  of  the  inter- 
est belonging  to  historical  associations.  For  we  tread  the  scene 
where  a  great  action  passed  away — and  we  breathe  the  air 
where  Moultrie,  sixty-eight  years  ago,  stood  to  meet  the  invader 
on  the  threshold  of  his  country.  Even  this  barren  Isle,  scarcely 
raised  above  the  margin  of  the  sea,  with  its  shore  washed  by  the 
tides,  and  its  heaps  of  sand  driven  by  the  wind,  becomes  an 
object  of  interest  from  the  associations  of  this  day.  And  the 
ground  that  we  survey,  little  distinguished  as  it  may  seem  to  the 
eye,  crowned  by  no  lofty  forests,  nor  adorned  with  fields  of  wav- 
ing grain,  when  viewed  by  the  glass  of  history  has  more  charms 
for  the  reflecting  mind  than  many  a  fertile  field.  For  here,  as  to 
a  solemn  judgment,  came  the  men  of  Carolina,  to  submit  the 
cause  of  freedom  to  the  God  of  battles;  and  here,  by  indulgent 
heaven,  was  granted  to  humanity  that  victory  of  native  virtue 
over  mercenary  discipline,  which  adds  another  glorious  page  to 
the  record  of  Salamis  and  Marathon. 

Nor  is  it  easy  to  overrate  the  importance  of  this  action.  It 
was  one  of  the  earliest  events  of  the  struggle  and  had  an  immense 
influence  on  the  opinions  of  men  concerning  the  issue  of  the  con- 
troversy. This  was,  as  far  as  America  was  concerned,  essentially 
a  war  of  opinion,  it  was  an  issue  between  the  people  and  their 
rulers — it  was  a  trial  between  the  new  world  and  the  old — a 
question  between  the  natural  privileges  of  men  and  the  pre- 
scriptive rights  of  those  who  had  long  controlled  their  destinies. 
The  nationality  of  the  United  States  was  a  new  term,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  popular  government  was  a  work  that  had  no 
recent  examples.  Ages  had  passed  away  since  any  successful 
opposition  had  been  made  by  popular  combination  against  the 
discipline  and  resources  of  established  governments.  The  name 
of  a  republic  had  almost  disappeared  from  the  world,  and  the 
pretentions  of  America  to  an  equality  with  Europe  were  till  then 
unheard.  The  nations  of  the  earth  seemed  to  have  settled  upon 
certain  principles,  embracing  a  gradation  of  ranks,  as  essential 
to  social  order,  and  their  governments,  by  modern  improve- 
ments in  the  arts  of  peace  and  war,  had  increased  beyond 
all  former  example,  their  power  of  maintaining  order  and  repres- 
sing opposition.  The  great  powers  of  England,  France  and 
Spain  had  divided  the  new  world  among  thern,  and  ruled  over 
America  by  the  general  acquiescence  of  mankind.  To  disturb 
received  opinions,  to  deny  the  throne,  or  to  question  the  right  of 
European  ascendency,  seemed  not  only  rash,  but  unnatural.  It 
was  at  such  a  time  that  a  voice  from  America  asserting  the  great 
principles  of  justice,  broke  upon  the  drowsy  ear  of  the  world. 


230  ^?/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  occasion  to  enter  into  the  con- 
troversy between  England  and  the  Colonies.  And  it  is  less 
important  to  do  so,  as  the  cause  of  the  quarrel  may  be  easily 
separated  from  the  circumstances  by  which  it  was  provoked. 
There  was  an  inevitable  tendency  to  separation  and  probably  it 
was  not  in  human  prudence  to  avoid  a  catastrophe  which  the 
progress  of  events  conspired  to  bring  about.  England  was  then, 
as  now,  the  most  vigorous,  the  most  progressive,  and  the  most 
uniformly  successful  of  the  European  powers.  The  spirit  of  her 
freedom  and  enterprise  was  reflected  on  her  colonies;  and  they 
had  advanced  in  prosperity  and  civilization  beyond  the  example 
of  any  dependent  people.  But  these  circumstances,  however 
calculated  to  mislead  a  superficial  observer,  as  promising  a  last- 
ing connection  between  the  metropolis  and  the  colony,  were  in 
fact  so  many  causes  of  an  approaching  rupture.  The  prosperity 
of  the  colonies,  as  it  fitted  them  then  for  a  separate  nationality, 
rendered  their  dependence  on  a  transatlantic  power  every  day 
more  and  more  inadequate  to  their  wants.  It  may  well  bedoubted 
whether  any  regulations  of  policy  could  have  reconciled  the  con- 
nection much  longer  with  the  true  interests  of  either  party.  The 
parallel  between  the  State  and  the  individual,  in  this,  as  in  so 
many  other  cases,  suggests  an  instructive  lesson.  The  same  law 
by  which  the  individual  passes  from  youth  to  manhood,  termin- 
ates the  period  of  parental  control.  And  the  Colony,  by  the 
development  of  the  resources  of  a  nation,  is  compelled  by  the 
law  of  self-defense  to  the  assumption  of  national  rights.  It  was 
not  merely  that  the  arrogance  or  injustice  of  a  government,  at 
the  distance  of  three  thousand  miles,  provoked  or  justified  resis- 
tance, but  that  no  connection  could  be  maintained  unless  upon 
terms  of  subordination;  and  that  such  subordination  was  no 
longer  in  conformity  with  the  true  relations  between  the  coun- 
tries. The  division  of  the  earth  into  separate  independent 
communities  is  essential  to  the  plan  of  Providence  in  the  consti- 
tution of  human  society.  It  is  impossible  for  the  world  to  be 
united  under  one  government,  and  every  country  must  be 
responsible  for  its  own  institutions.  The  subjection  of  any 
country  to  the  authority  of  strangers,  is  a  yoke  which  none  but 
the  weak  will  bear.  It  was  a  noble  feeling  which  the  people  of 
America  partook  with  all  generous  minds,  when  they  determined 
to  assume  an  independent  station  with  full  knowledge  of  all  the 
burthens  and  sacrifices  that  such  a  measure  implies.  And  the 
self  devotion  and  gallantry,  with  which  the  men  of  Carolina 
lined  the  walls  of  Fort  Moultrie  were  an  earnest  of  the  sincerity 
of  their  professions,  and  a  pledge  of  their  fitness  for  freedom. 
Like  that  of  Bunker  Hill,  this  action  preceded  the  formal  decla- 
ration of  independence,  and  like  it  too  in  the  result,  the  courage 
and  constancy  of  the  sons  of  America  were  thereby  proved  by 
the  din  of  battle  to  be  equal  to  their  pretentions;  and  the  repulse 


James  Louis  Petigru  231 

of  Sir  Peter  Parker's  Squadron,  by  an  inexperienced  garrison, 
before  a  feeble  fort,  unitetl  the  men  of  Massachusetts  and  Caro- 
lina by  the  baptism  of  fire,  in  the  holy  name  of  country,  men  and 
brothers.  Of  the  particulars  that  combined  to  render  this  tri- 
umph of  our  arms  a  just  source  of  pride,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
speak,  for  they  are  as  familiar  to  us  as  the  lessons  of  infancy. 
Nor  is  there  any  fear  that  the  heroic  daring  of  the  chief,  who 
scorned  the  cautious  advice  of  abandoning  a  position  deemed 
untenable,  and  resolved  to  defend  the  fort  or  be  buried  in  its 
ruins,  will  be  lost  upon  the  youth  of  our  country  or  that  the 
gallantry  of  the  men  who  so  nobly  seconded  his  zeal  will  be 
allowed  to  fade  from  their  recollections. 

Nor  is  it  necessary  to  dwell  on  the  long  series  of  seven  bloody 
years,  through  which  the  country  passed,  before  the  consum- 
mation of  the  patriot's  hope  was  crowned  by  independence.  It 
is  not  for  lessons  in  the  strategy  of  armies  or  the  arts  of  war  that 
the  history  of  this  eventful  period  should  be  read.  Other  nations 
have  known  how  to  set  armies  in  the  field,  and  by  what  means  to 
shake  the  defense  of  cities,  or  overwhelm  the  destined  victim 
with  mingled  storm  of  battle.  But  the  history  of  the  American 
war  furnishes  other  lessons,  replete  with  knowledge  more  con- 
soling to  mankind.  From  the  records  of  that  period  humanity 
may  learn  confidence,  and  patriots  trust  in  the  native  virtue  of 
the  people. 

The  trials  through  which  the  people  of  America  had  to  pass 
were  sharp  and  painful.  Of  these  trials  her  soldiers  bore  the 
brunt.  The  hardships  of  war  were  aggravated  by  the  want  of 
magazines,  of  forts,  of  ships,  of  regular  commissariats,  and  all  the 
material  which  enters  into  the  exercise  of  the  soldier's  calling. 

Nor  was  it  only  of  inadequate  supplies  that  they  had  to  com- 
plain, but  all  these  defects  were  rendered  more  intolerable  by  a 
civil  organization  too  imperfect  to  direct  efficiently  the  opera- 
tions of  war.  Scanty  means  were  rendered  still  more  inadequate 
by  the  weakness  of  the  civil  government.  Against  these  and 
such  evils  they  had  one  compensation  in  the  Spirit  ot  the 
American  people.  Nor  even  did  that  element  of  power  more 
nobly  vindicate  its  energy  in  asserting  the  superiority  of  mind 
over  matter.  By  public  spirit  the  States  were  held  together, 
and  the  people  suffered  without  despair.  Huge  armaments  and 
ponderous  trains  of  artillery,  with  obedient  hosts  of  mercenaries, 
mav  overnm  a  country  and  spread  desolation  far  and  wide;  and 
like  Xerxes,  the  master  of  myriads,  glittering  in  the  panoply  of 
war  may  deem  his  hosts  invincible,  but  like  all  material  agents 
their  sphere  is  limited;  they  feel  the  wear  and  tear  of  time,  they 
are  exposed  to  the  casualties  of  fortune,  and  by  the  ocean  waves 
or  winter  frosts  they  are  scattered  or  dispersed.  The  armies  of 
England  were  numerous  and  well  appointed,  and  fell  upon  the 
several  points  of  attack  as  easy  prey.     But  the  indomitable 


232  ^^J^->  Letters  and  Speeches 

spirit  of  the  people  was  progressive  and  indestructible.  New 
recruits  supplied  the  waste  of  war.  Years  rolled  on  and  the 
clang  of  arms  that  had  roused  the  sire  and  called  him  from  his 
plow,  still  rang  in  the  ears  of  a  new  generation,  ready  and  willing 
to  swell  the  same  martial  din.  Yorktown  saw  the  pride  of  the 
invader  humbled,  and  the  final  triumph  of  the  American  arms 
was  followed  by  the  acknowledgment  of  the  Independence  of 
the  United  States. 

But  military  fame  constitutes  the  least  part  of  the  honor  due 
to  the  soldiers  of  America.  War,  after  all,  is  the  reign  of  vio- 
lence and  violence  is  the  scourge  of  the  human  race.  But  it 
is  the  peculiar  glory  of  that  army  which  bore  the  brunt  of  this 
sharp  contest,  that  when  the  war  was  over,  they  laid  aside  with 
the  sword  the  love  of  war — and  with  peace  resumed  the  peaceful 
arts  in  the  retirement  of  private  life.  Honored  in  all  times  be 
that  Patriot  soldiery  who  served  a  bleeding  country  in  all  its 
privations,  and  bore  the  delay  even  of  the  modest  recompense 
due  to  their  toils,  with  the  fortitude  of  the  soldier  and  the 
modesty  of  the  citizen.  What  are  the  boasted  triumphs  of  those 
who  have  dyed  the  earth  in  blood,  compared  with  the  fame  of 
that  army,  which  after  a  successful  war,  laid  down  their  arms 
before  their  own  claims  were  satisfied?  That  a  stable  govern- 
ment, with  the  resources  arising  from  a  perfect  command  of  the 
civil  force,  should  raise  and  disband  troops  at  their  pleasure,  is 
the  common  privilege  of  a  well  governed  State.  But  this  was  a 
Revolutionary  army,  enlisted,  not  in  the  name  of  obedience,  but 
of  resistance  to  the  estabHshed  Authority.  An  army  which  had 
made  all  the  sacrifices  of  a  hard  service  without  the  emoluments 
of  the  camp — which  had  felt  the  steel  of  the  enemy  without 
feeling  the  cares  of  a  Government  intent  on  the  supply  of  their 
wants.  They  had  by  their  arms,  set  up  the  civil  power  that 
now  disposed  of  their  claims  to  justice.  Every  selfish  feeling 
prompted  them  to  take  justice  into  their  own  hands,  and  the 
most  plausible  arguments  were  at  hand  to  excuse  the  step. 
They  were  organized,  and  the  weakness  of  the  Government 
required  an  infusion  of  energy.  The  State  stood  in  need  of 
reformation  and  their  wrongs  cried  aloud  for  justice.  How 
easy  in  such  circumstances  to  cover  ambitious  designs  under 
the  cloak  of  the  public  good.  To  their  everlasting  honor  they 
resisted  the  temptation  and  imposed  on  themselves  a  forbearance 
without  example.  With  arms  in  their  hands,  they  submitted  to 
the  civil  authority,  as  men  who  had  no  weapons  but  persuasion. 
So  rare  an  instance  of  duty  has  deservedly  raised  the  character 
of  military  men  and  made  them,  in  this  country,  objects,  not  of 
jealousy,  but  of  popular  regard.  But  such  moderation  could 
only  be  expected  from  men  under  the  most  enlightened  influence, 
and  is  accounted  for  by  the  preeminent  character  of  their  leader. 
They  trusted  in  Washington  and  set  the  seal  to  the  gratitude  of 


James  Louis  Petigru  233 

posterity,  by  yielding  an  implicit  obedience  to  his  counsel  and 
example.  A  nation  may  well  be  proud  of  military  fame;  but  the 
character  of  Washington  has  added  to  the  estimation  of  man- 
kind, and  forms  part  ot  the  inheritance  of  the  human  race.  We 
may  boast  of  the  valor  of  our  troops,  but  submission  to  the  law 
and  respect  for  the  liberties  of  their  country,  are  the  crowning 
glory  of  the  patriot  army  that  fought  the  battle  of  independence. 
They  laid  no  sacrilegious  hand  upon  the  arc  of  liberty,  and 
showed  themselves  formidable  only  to  the  enemies  of  their 
country. 

The  example  of  the  army  was  well  calculated  to  increase  the 
joy  with  which  the  return  of  peace  was  hailed,  and  to  inspire  a 
hope  that  the  reign  of  justice  had  commenced.  But  peace  had 
its  dangers;  the  authority  of  the  law  was  inadequate  to  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  public  defence;  and  the  Government  was  neither 
able  to  obtain  nor  to  enforce  justice.  The  task  was  still  incom- 
plete, and  many  doubts  and  fears  were  still  to  be  overcome 
before  the  fair  temple  of  beauty  could  be  reared  upon  the  soil  of 
Columbia.  Hitherto,  Liberty  was  resistance,  and  her  cause  was 
the  law  of  the  strongest.  But  now  Liberty  was  to  be  made  an 
institution,  and  freedom  reconciled  with  power.  And  although, 
to  the  generality  of  mankind,  dazzled  with  show,  and  inattentive 
to  the  silent  causes,  which,  in  the  moral  as  in  the  natural  world, 
bring  about  the  order  and  harmony  of  things,  the  organization  of 
a  community  may  seem  to  be  easy,  yet  to  the  reasoning  mind  no 
enterprise  is  so  arduous.  Too  long,  indeed,  have  men  been 
accustomed  to  pay  unbounded  homage  to  those  abilities  that  are 
most  conspicuous  in  the  service  of  selfish  ambition.  But  when 
civilization  shall  have  more  widely  diffused  its  benignant  sway, 
they  will  learn  to  reserve  their  highest  praise  for  those  whose 
labors  are  most  eminently  conducive  to  the  happiness  of  man- 
kind. Who  will  compare  the  bloody  laurels  of  the  conqueror 
with  the  mild  lustre  that  surrounds  the  brow  of  the  magistrate, 
who  gives  law  to  mankind  or  hesitate  to  postpone  the  boisterous 
orator,  or  keen  politician  to  the  simple  and  modest  student  of 
nature,  who  has  so  recently  enriched  the  human  family  with  the 
present  of  the  magnetic  telegraph?  What  does  it  signify  that 
men  have  fought  and  bled,  and  signalized  the  bloody  arena  of 
their  toils  by  great  exhibitions  of  moral  or  physical  strength,  if 
the  result  has  been  barren  of  any  real  good  or  solid  benefit  to 
society?  But  they  who  have  developed  the  resources  of  their 
country,  who  have  increased  the  amount  of  rational  and  innocent 
enjoyment  or  diminished  the  evils  of  human  life,  are  justly  hailed 
as  the  benefactors  and  fathers  of  mankind.  And  who  so  justly 
entitled  to  this  distinction  as  those  who  have  bestowed  on  their 
country  by  wise  institutions,  the  permanent  blessings  of  justice? 
In  this  class  the  great  men  of  America  are  entitled  to  distin- 
guished place,  and  we  may  celebrate  this  anniversary  not  merely 


234  Life  J  Letters  and  Speeches 

with  the  honors  due  to  a  brilliant  feat  of  arms,  but  as  the  open- 
ing of  a  new  and  better  state  of  things.  For  when  the  toils  of 
war  were  over,  the  American  people  dedicated  the  liberty  which 
they  had  won  to  the  noble  purpose  of  establishing  among  them 
for  generations  the  blessings  of  freedom,  justice  and  equality  of 
rights.  By  this  result  the  true  value  of  liberty  is  known,  and  by 
the  success  of  the  Federal  Constitution  the  real  amount  of  good 
obtained  by  American  Independence  must  in  the  end  be  esti- 
mated. For  liberty  is  but  a  name,  where  the  weak  are  not  pro- 
tected against  the  strong,  nor  justice  armed  with  the  power  of 
defending  the  innocent,  and  punishing  the  guilty— and  it  is  here 
that  experience  warns  us  of  the  rocks  on  which  men  in  pursuit  of 
liberty  have  so  often  split,  and  calls  on  us  to  admire  and  main- 
tain the  work  of  the  Authors  of  the  Constitution.  To  reconcile 
the  greatest  degree  of  freedom  with  the  perfect  security  of  pri- 
vate and  natural  rights,  has  baffled  the  skill  of  the  wisest  of  man- 
kind. For  who  shall  control  where  all  are  equal,  or  how  shall 
the  people  restrain  the  will  of  the  people? 

To  accomplish  a  work  to  which  the  wise  might  look  with 
despair;  to  give  to  the  world  an  example  of  a  Republic  that  might 
recall  the  glories  of  that  proud  name  in  ancient  times  without 
admitting  the  elements  of  discord  which  so  often  shook  the  frame 
of  those  celebrated  states;  to  emulate  the  vigor  of  those  ancient 
commonwealths  without  impairing  the  safety  and  sanctity  of 
private  rights,  so  essential  to  modern  civilization^these  were 
the  generous  aspirations  of  the  men  of  the  revolution,  and  the 
consummation  of  that  great  struggle,  to  the  memory  of  which 
we  dedicate  this  day. 

To  build  up  a  system  on  the  principles  of  natural  justice  might 
seem  to  be  an  easy  task — but  like  the  imitation  of  nature,  it 
requires  the  highest  degree  of  skill  and  most  elaborate  work- 
manship. To  this  task  the  fathers  of  American  Liberty  brought 
the  result  of  all  their  experience  and  long  reflection  upon  the 
eventful  scenes  through  which  they  had  passed.  In  the  union 
of  the  States  they  found  a  principle  that  answered  to  their  wants. 
On  that  principle  they  rested  their  plan.  On  the  Union  of  the 
States  they  laid  the  foundation  of  national  defence  and  the 
guards  of  civil  liberty,  making  it  at  once  the  means  of  develop- 
ing all  the  resources  of  the  nation  and  of  restraining  the  exercise 
of  the  civil  force.  They  made  a  partition  of  Sovereignty,  and 
assigned  limits  to  the  competency  of  the  several  governments 
between  which  it  is  divided.  As  to  the  best  distribution  of 
power  between  the  States  and  the  General  Government — and 
the  degree  in  which  control  should  be  exercised  by  either,  opin- 
ions may  difl^er,  and  the  distinction  forms  a  line  by  which  parties 
will  naturally  divide.  But  that  such  a  partition  should  take 
place,  and  that  the  principle  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  main- 
tenance  of  that  equihbrium,   ever  so  essential   in   the  State, 


James  Louis  Petigru  235 

between  the  power  of  government  and  the  Hberty  of  those  who 
are  governed,  can  be  denied  by  no  one  who  has  comprehended 
the  subject.  Nor  should  we  cease  to  express  our  gratitude  and 
to  adore  the  goodness  of  Providence,  which  placed  in  our  hands 
an  instrument  of  peace  and  order,  which  human  ingenuity  could 
not  have  devised.  For  unless  the  States  had  existed  in  fact,  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  create  them  for  the  purpose. 
Had  the  Mother  Country  looked  to  the  establishment  of  empires 
and  kingdoms,  and  British  America  presented  a  unit  of  govern- 
ment like  Canada  or  Mexico,  no  human  power  by  artificial  lines, 
or  positive  rules,  could  have  made  communities  with  the  attri- 
butes of  sovereign  and  independent  states  where  none  rested. 
And  if  the  several  states  had  retained  their  separate  nationality 
no  constitution  would  have  been  an  effectual  guard  against  vio- 
lations of  right.  In  such  states  there  could  be  no  barrier  between 
a  dominant  majority  and  the  object  which  they  mean  to  effect. 
A  constitution  is  in  fact  intended  to  restrain  the  majority;  but 
as  the  people  are  sovereign  and  equal,  the  will  of  the  majority 
must  be  paramount,  and  no  constitution  can  transcend  the 
sovereign  power  from  which  it  emanates:  but  under  the  control 
of  the  Federal  Constitution  there  is  no  absolute  sovereignty,  and 
neither  the  whole  people  nor  the  people  of  any  particular  State 
have  more  than  a  limited  dominion.  By  this  union  of  the  States 
the  independence  of  America  was  crowned  with  liberty  and  order 
and  long  may  it  be  impressed  on  the  mind  of  every  citizen  that 
the  preservation  of  the  union  is  the  lite  of  liberty.  Nor  can  any 
man  give  a  test  of  his  sentiments  as  a  citizen  and  lover  of  free- 
dom better  than  this,  that  he  who  loves  the  union  really  loves  his 
country. 

But  does  that  country  deserve  our  love?  Is  there  in  the 
result  enough  to  justify  the  pains,  the  cares,  the  sacrifices  made, 
and  the  blood  poured  out  for  the  prize  of  American  independence  ? 
Let  this  question  be  answered  not  according  to  the  dictates  of  an 
idle  vanity,  but  by  a  sober  and  dispassionate  consideration  of  the 
circumstances  on  which  that  answer  should  depend.  That  form 
of  government,  which  in  the  highest  degree  develops  the  virtues 
and  talents  of  society,  and  conduces  most  to  the  advancement  of 
its  members  as  a  people,  in  all  that  gives  dignity  and  elevation  of 
character  to  the  individual  in  knowledge,  in  morals,  in  the  arts 
of  peace  and  the  virtues  that  ensure  success  in  war,  best  fulfils 
the  order  and  design  of  Providence  in  the  organization  of  society. 
And  for  a  government  that  fulfils  these  conditions  no  sacrifice  is 
too  great.  May  we  not  venture  with  a  modest  confidence  to 
submit  to  this  test  the  pretensions  of  our  country? 

Far  from  us  be  the  sordid  and  ignoble  thought  that  self-indul- 
gence is  the  end  and  aim  of  liberty.  It  is  in  the  generous  pur- 
suit of  all  that  is  good  and  great,  in  improving  the  earth  and  in 
converting  nature  to  the  service  of  man,  in  cherishing  justice, 


236  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

and  respecting  the  laws,  the  human  and  divine,  that  a  people 
must,  like  the  individual,  employ  their  liberty  to  know  its  value. 
Such  was  he,  our  countryman,  who,  alas,  too  early  for  us,  but 
not  for  his  fame,  closed,  but  a  year  ago  this  scene  of  mortal  life. 
No  more  shall  we  kindle  in  the  glow  which  so  often  warmed  the 
heart,  when  some  great  theme  was  touched  by  his  genius,  in  the 
forum  or  the  senate.  And  now  on  this  solemn  day  when  we 
recall  the  illustrious  deeds  of  Moultrie,  Pinckney  and  Marion, 
let  us  not  begrudge  a  tear  to  the  memory  of  Legare,  who  illus- 
trated in  his  life,  that  the  republic  is  the  nurse  of  genius;  who 
loved  his  country  with  the  ardor  that  republics  only  can  inspire, 
and  who  by  his  eloquence,  could  so  well  portray  the  immense 
value  of  the  gifts  conferred  upon  us  by  the  liberty  and  union  of 
America. 

TO   DANIEL   PETIGRU 

Charleston,  10th  July,  1843. 
*  *  *  The  rumor,  that  I  was  offered  the  place  of  Attorney 
General,  is  groundless.  It  would  have  been  very  improper,  for 
I  am  not  of  Mr.  Tyler's  party,  and  would  not  accept  the  place, 
even  if  my  friends  were  in  power,  as  it  is  too  late  in  the  day  to  be 
pleased  with  an  office,  that  would  be  a  proper  subject  of  ambi- 
tion to  a  much  younger  man.  Tho'  it  seems  very  wonderful 
that  Sue  does  not  write  to  you,  it  is  a  wonder  that  will  decrease 
as  you  grow  older,  and  when  you  have  improved  your  under- 
standing with  30  years  of  study  and  reflexion,  you  will  feel  more 
gratitude  for  being  remembered  sometimes,  than  surprise  at 
finding  of  how  little  importance  an  individual  is.  We  have  lost 
Mr.  Lowndes,  who  died  on  the  8th,  after  fulfilling  his  duties  to 
all  the  world,  and  having  attained  the  age  of  78.  You  did  not 
enclose  the  tailor's  bill  as  you  seemed  to  intend  to  do,  and  I  don't 
send  the  money  by  this  mail,  because  it  is  not  convenient,  but 
will  do  so  in  good  time.  I  suppose  his  prices  are  adapted  to  a 
little  delay.  Sue  has  been  with  us  on  the  Island  since  we  moved, 
which  was  the  29th  ult.     *     *     * 

When  William  C.  Preston  returned  from  Washington  (after 
his  defeat  for  the  United  States  Senate)  the  very  small  but  highly 
respectable  Whig  party  in  Charleston  (of  which  Mr.  Petigru  and 
Judge  Bryan  were  the  head)  determined  to  receive  him  with 
applause.  Mr.  Preston  had  been  elected  to  the  Senate  as  a 
Nullifier  and  he  returned  as  a  Henry  Clay  Whig.  The  reception 
given  him  was  helped  out  by  Democrats.  Mr.  Pope  tells  the 
story  of  the  occasion:  The  meeting  was  held  at  what  was  then 
known  as  the  old  theatre  in  Broad  Street.     The  speakers  on  the 


James  Louis  Petigru  237 

occasion  were  Mr.  Petigru,  Mr.  Legare  and  Mr.  Preston.  It  was 
equivalent  to  a  liberal  education  and  an  event  in  one's  life.  Mr. 
Preston  spoke  first  and  his  speech  was  an  elegant  indication  of 
his  political  course. 

"  Mr.  Legare,  who  was  expecting  to  be  called  into  Mr.  Tyler's 
cabinet,  spoke  second,  and  it  goes  without  saying  that  this  speech 
was  superbly  elegant.  Mr.  Petigru  spoke  last  and  he  beat  them 
both.  His  wit,  humor  and  wealth  of  anecdotes  bore  off  the 
palm.  I  remember  after  more  than  forty  years  the  glittering 
shaft  that  he  hurled  at  Mr.  Calhoun,  who  on  his  way  to  Wash- 
ington a  short  time  before  had  received  a  grand  welcome  and 
ovation  during  his  stay  in  the  city.  I  remember  his  utterance 
word  for  word:  'This  dear  old  State  of  ours  reminds  me  of  a 
refined,  rich,  fat,  lazy  old  planter  who  took  his  wine  at  dinner 
and  his  nap  in  the  afternoon.  He  employed  an  overseer  of  un- 
surpassed abilities  and  turned  over  the  management  of  the  large 
estates  to  him.  One  morning  the  planter  woke  up  and  found 
the  overseer  master  of  the  plantation.'  Thus  he  proceeded  to 
the  end  amid  uproars  of  laughter  and  rounds  of  applause." 


238  ^{/^,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

1844 

Ball   in   Honor   of   Mr.    Clay;   Election    of    Governor 

Aiken;    Mr.  Hoar 

TO   MRS.  jane    PETIGRU    NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  2d  April,  1844. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  After  we  had  a  management  agreed  on  for  a  ball  at 
Easter  it  turned  out  that  Mr.  Clay  would  be  here  this  week, 
and  to  my  surprise  they  announced  Thursday  evening  for  the 
festival.  I  endeavored  on  Saturday  to  change  their  determina- 
tion, but  it  really  put  me  in  mind  of  the  nullifiers,  when  the  popu- 
lar indignation  exploded  against  the  unjust  and  tyrannical  impo- 
sition on  their  liberties  was  named.  The  clergy  launched  their 
anathema  against  the  entertainment  on  Sunday,  and  the  Bishop 
has  addressed  to  his  people  an  allocution  on  the  occasion.  As 
usual,  the  opposition  has  inflamed  the  friends  of  the  ball,  Whigs 
and  Democrats,  to  the  highest  degree  and  no  doubt  it  will  be 
the  most  popular  ball  ever  given  in  the  city  since  Gen.  Lafayette. 
The  opposition  is  nearly  as  strong  among  the  Episcopalians  as 
anybody  else;  so  I  judge  from  W.  B.  Pringle's  conversation, 
who  tells  me  that  he  considers  this  only  another  attempt  of  the 
clergy  to  tyrannize  over  the  laity.  I  don't  think  so  myself,  and 
tell  them  that  there  is  a  great  difference  between  rigid  obedience 
and  gross  contempt.  For  there  could  be  no  greater  contempt 
of  discipline  of  the  Church  than  the  converting  of  a  day  of  mourn- 
ing into  one  of  revelry  and  feasting.  Robertson  and  Mills  as 
well  as  myself  retired  from  the  connexion  with  the  ball,  and  no 
others.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

P.  S. — This  is  written  with  many  interruptions  as  you  may 
see  by  the  blots.  Between  friends  a  blotted  letter  is  a  mark  of 
confidence,  so  says  one  of  the  greatest  masters  of  the  epistolary 
style  in  his  journal  to  Stella. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

July  8,  1844. 

*  *  *  I  suppose  you  have  seen  my  oration  in  the  Courier 
— the  first  two  impressions  were  badly  printed — the  last  which 


James  Louis  Petigru  239 

was  in  the  paper  of  the  4th,  is  correctly  done.  They  have  paid 
me  a  good  many  compliments  about  it  here,  hut  the  highest  was 
that  of  my  old  friend,  Dr.  Palmer,*  who  characterized  it  as  a 
judicious  discourse,  that  with  a  little  alteration  would  make  a 
capital  sermon. 

TO  CAPTAIN  THOMAS  PETIGRU 

September  30,  1844. 
*  *  *  Mr.  Calhoun  is  here.  He  came  this  morning.  I 
have  not  been  to  see  him  and  don't  intend.  It  is  said  he  brings 
encouragement  to  his  friends  and  tells  them  Polk  will  be  elected. 
The  contest  in  Georgia  will  be  very  close.  I  hope  our  friends 
will  succeed,  but  thev  will  pass  through  a  narrow  place  if  they 
do. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

November  10,  1844. 
We  are  in  the  midst  of  the  election.  The  most  contradictory 
reports  come  every  day,  and  will  do  so  probably  for  two  or  three 
days  more,  concerning  New  York.  Whigs  and  Democrats  are 
both  dejected.  It  is  said  large  sums  are  bet  and  the  bettors  will 
enjoy  ail  the  excitement  of  suspense.  *  *  *  The  excitement 
is  intense,  and  well  it  may  be,  for  in  the  whole  history  of  the 
country  the  President's  chair  was  never  disputed  in  such  a 
regular  stand-up  fight  before. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

December  3,  1844. 
I  told  Mrs.  Smithf  that  I  understood  her  brother  (Sully,  the 
artist)  was  going  to  Tennessee  to  take  a  likeness  of  Mrs.  Polk. 
She  had  not  heard  of  it.  He  had  written  to  her,  she  said,  that 
he  was  at  least  out  of  the  turmoil  of  the  election.  She  asked, 
"He  says  he  is  a  Whig.  Do  tell  me  what  that  is?"  I  explained 
as  well  as  I  could  and  she  then  declared  that  she  believed  that 
she  was  one  too. 

TO  CAPTAIN  THOMAS   PETIGRU 

December  16,  1844. 
I  think  we  are  out  of  luck  for  candidates.     Our  friend,  Allston, 
got  but  twenty-four  votes,  yet  they  stuck  to  him  through  four 
ballots;  Buchanan  had  thirty-one.     His  friends  divided  between 


*Dr.  Benjamin  Morgan  Palmer,  a  great  divine  of  his  day.     Pastor  of  the  Cir- 
cular or  Congregational  Church,  Charleston,  S.  C,  for  twenty  years. 

tShe  was  the  daughter  of  Sully  the  actor,  and  eloped  with  Middleton  Smith. 


240  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

Aiken  and  Seabrook*  who  were  the  highest  candidates.  But  I 
suppose  you  have  seen  the  papers  by  this  time.  Seabrook  is 
excessively  mortified.  He  came  here  breathing  revenge;  says 
it  was  carried  by  corruption.  That  seems  to  be  in  some  measure 
beHeved.  What  is  certain  is  that  Aiken  is  making  all  sorts  of 
expense.  He  has  emptied  every  cellar  in  Columbia  and  sent  to 
town  for  more  champagne  *  *  *  and  it  is  supposed  he  will 
make  King  street  run  with  wine  when  he  comes  to  town. 

There  is  a  capital  story  about  Boyce,  who  was  persuading 
Haigler,  the  St.  Matthew's  member,  to  vote  for  Aiken.  Haigler 
thought  he  ought  to  support  the  agricultural  interests  and  Sea- 
brook was  the  planters'  candidate,  but  Boyce  told  him  that  true 
Seabrook  was  a  learned  man  and  wrote  a  great  deal  about  plant- 
ing and  that  it  was  all  very  fine,  but  that  he  was  a  theatrical 
planter.  Everybody  says  that  it  was  truth,  and  Seabrook 
himself  tells  it  and  does  not  see  that  they  laugh  at  Boyce  and  him 
too. 

The  proceedings  in  regard  to  Mr.  Hoarf  are  very  scandalous. 
Nothing  is  so  fatal  as  to  make  the  plea  of  necessity  too  cheap. 
Necessity  "has  no  law;  therefore,  against  all  law  they  drive  the 
old  man  out  of  the  State.  But  when  you  ask  for  the  evidence,  of 
necessity  it  is  plain  that  it  means  nothing  but  popular  clamour. 
The  idea  that  the  questioning  of  the  constitutionality  of  those 
laws  about  negroes  coming  into  the  State  is  dangerous  to  public 
tranquility  is  a  mere  figment.  Only  last  May  I  had  one  of  the 
provisions  of  that  same  law  declared  unconstitutional  in  Mrs. 
Kohne's  case.  If  the  Association  was  to  take  it  in  dudgeon  they 
might  have  said  it  was  necessary  to  have  me  deported,  with  as 
much  reason,  and  Calhoun's  miserable  homilies  on  the  advan- 
tages of  slavery  have  just  about  the  same  significance.  Aiken's 
proclamation  of  a  Thanksgiving  on  the  9th  is  for  the  Jews, 
whom  Hammond  omitted  in  his  proclamation. 

*Whitmarsh  Benjamin  Seabrook,  Governor,  1848. 

tOn  account  of  the  agitation  of  the  abolitionists,  the  legislature  of  South  Caro- 
lina early  in  1844  passed  the  DeTreville  resolution  which  forbid  the  entrance 
of  free  negroes  into  South  Carolina.  A  vessel  from  Boston  arrived  at  Charles- 
ton; the  steward  and  cook  being  free  negroes  were  immediately  put  in  prison; — 
Mr.  Sherman  Hoar,  a  lawyer  of  Boston,  was  sent  by  the  Government  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  Charleston  to  protect  their  rights.  A  riot  ensued  which  was  quieted  by 
the  interference  of  some  of  the  more  respectable  citizens. — Charleston  Courier, 
Dec.  5,  1844. 


James  Louis  Petigru  241 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

1845 

Mesmerism;  Life  Mask;  White  Sulphur  Springs;  Mr.  Clay; 
Philadelphia;  New  York 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

January  27th,  1845. 

*  *  *  The  case  of  the  Rice  Hope  sale  is  to  be  argued 
to-morrow.  I  do  not  engage  in  the  argument,  but  have  engaged 
Mr.  Preston  to  come  down  here  for  that  purpose.  I  don't  think 
there  is  any  doubt  of  the  result. 

TO  MRS.  JAIvTE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

May  20th,  1845. 

*  *  *  I  have  told  the  Captain  [his  brother  Tom]  the  great 
news  that  the  sale  of  Rice  Hope  is  set  aside,  and  I  am  relieved 
of  the  oppressive  burthen  of  paying,  or  rather  of  never  paying, 
those  two  bonds  of  Mrs.  Timothy  and  Barbara  Barquet,  which 
were  to  come  upon  me  if  the  sale  made  in  January,  1844,  had 
stood.  It  is  strange  that  there  should  ever  have  been  a  doubt 
on  the  subject,  viz:  That  it  was  unlawful  for  Mr.  Memminger 
and  Mr.  Gourdin  to  agree  not  to  bid  against  one  another  and  to 
divide  the  gain  that  might  be  made  by  that  means  among  their 
clients,  to  the  injury  of  that  part  of  the  General's  creditors  that 
were  not  in  the  secret.  But  after  Chancellor  Harper  had  affirmed 
the  sale  and  I  had  got  Mr.  Preston  to  argue  the  case  and  the 
Court  of  Appeals  had  not  only  hesitated,  but  showed  a  strong 
tendency  to  confirm  the  decree,  it  was  time  to  be  alarmed. 
Thank  God  it  is  over  and  I  breathe  free  again. 

From  the  foregoing  it  is  inferred  that  Mr.  Petigru  must  have 
indorsed  bonds  of  Gen.  Hamilton's  to  Mr.  Barquet  and  that  Rice 
Hope  was  part  of  his  assets. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

May  20,  1845. 

Sister  [his  wife]  is  the  eighth  wonder  of  the  world.  She  is 
getting  well.  She  walks  up  and  down  stairs,  goes  out  every 
afternoon  to  ride  and  does  not  talk  of  sickness.     Yet,  after  all, 


242  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

it  seems  to  me  that  she  is  indebted  to  the  force  of  imagination 
for  a  great  part  of  the  virtue  of  mesmerism.  When  it  comes  to 
be  understood,  and  therefore  no  longer  creates  awe  and  wonder, 
the  number  of  cures  effected  by  its  agency,  if  I  am  right,  will 
very  much  diminish.  *  *  *  Tell  the  Captain  that  he  ought 
by  no  means  to  suffer  these  new  sloops  of  war  to  be  fitted 
out  and  given  to  younger  officers.  I  hope  he  will  show  a  due 
tenacity  for  his  rights  according  to  his  rank  in  the  navy.  Though 
it  would  sadden  my  visit  to  Abbeville  if  he  is  not  there,  yet 
better  forego  pleasure  than  honor.  *  *  *  I  have  been  sleepy 
all  day,  and  before  you  are  done  this  letter  you  may  find  that  it 
is  catching. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  27th  May,  1845. 

My  dear  Jane: 

Yours  of  the  24th  was  very  welcome,  and  I  enjoyed  again  the 
pleasure  of  success  in  your  lively  feelings  of  gratulation.  I 
believe  the  case  has  made  no  little  noise.  In  the  Greenville 
Mountaineer  an  account  of  it  is  given  in  glowing  terms  by  a 
correspondent  of  the  editor,  which  would  have  been  read  with 
pleasure  but  for  a  singular  typographical  blunder:  Lord  Cowden 
instead  of  Lord  Camden.  The  Captain  is  right  about  the  Ham- 
iltons;  they  are  quite  delighted  with  the  judgment,  but  he  does 
them  injustice  in  supposing  that  it  is  on  account  of  their  design 
to  emigrate  to  Texas.  On  the  contrary,  they  are  still  anxious  to 
own  the  place,  but  they  could  not  hope  to  do  so  with  any  satis- 
faction, as  long  as  it  was  connected  with  an  act  of  injustice  to 
Mr.  Arthur  Middleton  and  me.  Such  injustice  would  have 
partaken  of  the  disgrace  of  treachery.  Thus  power,  while  it 
renders  men  callous  to  some  reproaches  of  conscience,  keeps  thern 
alive  to  other  moral  impressions,  when  they  involve  the  senti- 
ment of  fidelity  to  a  friend.  Poor  Barquet  and  Timothy  might 
have  whistled  for  their  money  if  they  had  had  no  other  depen- 
dence than  their  debtor's  sense  of  legal  or  moral  obligation  to 
pay  them.     *     *     * 

Sister  continues  an  example  of  the  maxim  that  while  there  is 
life  there  is  hope.  She  walks  up  and  down  the  stairs  like  a  kid; 
the  only  drawback  to  this  pleasure  is  that  she  has  an  uncontrol- 
lable passion  to  talk  to  everybody  about  mesmerism.  I  presume 
that  the  shopkeepers  in  King  Street  must  be  edified  by  it,  as  she 
takes  her  rides  regularly  in  that  direction. 

Poor  John  Huger,  son  of  John,  died  two  days  ago;  he  is  the 
greatest  loss  the  family  could  have  met  with,  being  a  man  of 
business  and  activity  with  good  judgment.  His  poor  old  father 
is  broken  up  by  it.     Mr.  Ogelby*  is  going  to  leave  us  after  15 

*The  British  Consul. 


James  Louis  Petigru  243 

years'  residence.  I  will  write  to  our  Irish  cousin  by  him,  but 
I  fear  cousin  Margaret  has  paid  the  debt  of  nature;  it  is  5  years 
since  we  have  heard  from  her.  We  will  move  to  the  Island  in 
about  a  fortnight.  The  weather  still  continues  very  dry  and 
Carson's  crop  is  as  good  as  lost.  This  is  doubly  unfortunate, 
because  our  poor  Caroline  ought  to  go  to  somewhere  besides  the 
Island:  the  glare  of  that  place  is  the  worst  thing  imaginable  for 
her  eyes.  Sue  has  been  a  constant  and  considerate  friend  in 
these  her  protracted  troubles,  and  Martha  Kinloch  is  now  in 
town  and  devotes  a  great  deal  of  her  time  to  her. 

Tell  the  Captain  I  have  not  seen  the  Commodore  but  will 
write  to  him  after  I  have.  This  letter  is  begun  wrong,  and  of 
course  will  be  good  for  nothing;  it  is  a  pity,  because  it  will  be 
charged  with  the  high  duties  now  paid  on  letters.  After  1st 
June  it  will  make  less  difference,  because  a  dull  letter  will  cost 
but  little.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  have  a  promise  of  a  crop, 
and  I  hope  I  shall  be  able  to  stroll  with  you  over  the  same  hills 
and  be  interested  again  in  the  same  small  interests  before  the 
summer  has  left  us.  The  weather  has  been  surprisingly  cool 
for  a  few  days.  We  were  expecting  rain  but  the  cold  came  in 
place  of  it.  I  have  heard  nothing  from  Capt.  Bowman  yet  of 
our  stone  foundation.     Adieu,  my  dear  sister,  I  embrace  Mary 

and  the  girls  and  am. 

Your  affectionate  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jante  petigru  north 

July  5,  1845. 
1  am  ashamed  that  I  send  nothing  by  them  [Guilfoyle  and 
Shannon]  except  this  and  a  plaster  cast  of  the  head  of  a  person 
you  know.*  It  was  done  by  the  same  person  who  went  up  lately 
to  take  Mr.  Calhoun's  and  Mr.  McDuffie's.  It  was  engaged  by 
the  young  men  of  the  bar,  who  have  ordered  a  number  ot  copies. 
The  one  presented  to  me  is  what  I  send  by  Guilfoyle  as  an  arti- 
cle of  ornament  in  the  furniture  of  Badwell. 

On  account  of  the  illness  of  his  daughter  Caroline  (Mrs. 
Carson),  Petigru  threw  aside  all  his  business  and  by  the  advice 
of  the  doctors  took  her  and  her  infant  and  nurse  to  the  Springs 
in  Virginia.  The  route  followed  was  by  steam  boat  to  Wilming- 
ton, North  Carolina,  then  by  railroad  to  Charlottesville  and  the 
remainder  of  the  journey  by  stage  coach.     The  letters  following 

*The  bust  referred  to  is  a  very  good  likeness  of  him  and  continued  to  be 
"an  article  of  ornament  in  the  furniture  of  Badwell."  It  was  among  the  first 
artistic  efforts  of  the  plasterer  Clarke  Mills,  who  a  few  years  later  became 
celebrated  as  the  artist  who  designed  the  equestrian  statue  of  General  Jackson 
at  Washington. 


244  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

describe  the  life  at  the  Springs  and  the  various  people  that  he 
met  on  the  journey. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

White  Sulphur,  13  August,  1845. 

Mv  dear  Sue: 

True  to  our  appointment,  we  took  the  coach  on  Monday; 

having  engaged  the  whole  of  it  and  stipulated  for  the  liberty  of 

traveling  as  we  pleased.     It  was  with  some  feeling  of  sorrow, 

that  we  quit  the  Warm  Springs,  where  we  had  become  a  sort  of 

inmates;  and  a  sort  of  dread  of  the  journey  accompanied  us  on 

the  road.     But  tho'  Caroline  sometimes  confessed  to  a  sense  of 

pain  and  was  much  fatigued  the  first  day  before  we  finished  our 

stage  of  26  miles,  we  made  out  on  the  whole  very  well.     As  the 

coach  was  very  large,  she  lay  on  the  back  seat,  and  contrary  to 

the  ordinary  rule,  that  passengers  hurry  the  driver,  we  were 

calling  to  him  to  drive  gently  and  not  go  too  fast.     It  was  10 

o'clock  yesterday  when  we  arrived.     The  sight  of  this  place  is 

brilliant  on  emerging  from  the  Allegheny.     The  rows  of  cottages, 

many  very  handsome,  gravelled  walks,  green  lawns  and  smooth 

terraces,  strike  the  eye  with  pleasure,  enhanced  by  novelty  and 

surprize.     Nearly  all  this  is  new  to  me,  for  almost  everything 

has  been  changed  since  1833,  when  I  was  here  before.     The 

chief  superintendent  received  us  at  the  door  and  learning  who 

we  were,  directed  the  driver  to  drive  into  the  enclosure,  to  the 

door  of  the  cottage  assigned  to  us.     It  is  the  same  that  Mr. 

Jerome  Bonaparte  had  vacated   that  morning,  and   there  we 

found  at  the  steps  Dr.  Edward  North  and  Mrs.  Matt  Singleton. 

Caroline  was  soon  ushered  into  her  room,  and  before  she  was  well 

'n  bed,  Mrs.  Bull  Pringle  and  Mrs.  Singleton  had  come  to  see  her. 

Martha  remained  with  her  till  I  went  to  dinner,  and  it  was  a 

sight  to  see  upwards  of  500  people  dining  together.     Of  course 

anything  like  a  banquet  is  out  of  the  question  as  well  as  any 

sensible  notion   of  comfort,  in  such   a  way   of  eating.     Mrs. 

Singleton    had    engaged    a    maid    for    Caroline    according    to 

promise,  and  then  the  servants  of  the  establishment,  who  are 

assigned  to  their  particular  cottages  or  rooms,  brought  Caroline 

her   dinner.     But   Mrs.    Singleton   was   not   satisfied   that  she 

had    anything    good    enough    and    sent    her  a  pheasant  very 

nicely  dressed  by  her  own    cook.     Then    after    dinner    came 

little  Ashby  and  Mary  McDuffie  and  Mrs.  Gamage,  and  Mrs. 

Governor  Gilmer  and  Mattie  again,  so  that  I  was  afraid  she 

would  talk  too  much  and  have  her  attention  fatigued.     I  was 

glad   to  take   Mrs.  Gamage  ofl^  to  tea  as  the  bell  rang;  after 

tea,  I  accompanied  Mrs.  Gamage  to  Mrs.  Dupont's.     You  will 

be  glad  to  hear  that  your  Godmother  is  stirring  but  sorry  when 

I  tell  you  that  she  has  been  sick  here,  and  looks  very  poorly  still. 

Your  affectionate  Father. 


"James  Louis  Petigru  245 

TO  MRS,   SUSAN    PETIGRU   KINfG 

White  Sulphur,  29  August,  1845. 
My  dear  Sue: 

It  is  Friday  and  a  letter  today  is  your  due,  and  it  is  also  due 
to  you  to  say  that  your  despatch  of  the  15th  was  by  no  means  to 
be  confounded  with  those  careless  compositions,  that  fill  the 
page  with  words  but  give  no  distinct  idea  to  the  mind.  Quite 
the  contrary;  there  is  in  it  a  detail  and  selection  of  circumstances 
making  it  as  entertaining  as  a  newspaper,  so  well  characterized 
by  Cowper  as  "a  map  of  busy  life."  So  you  may  imagine  how 
Caroline  and  I  walk  down  to  the  Spring  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  she  fortified  with  my  walking  stick  and  I  carrying  the 
umbrella.  You  may  conceive  us  attended  by  little  Mary 
McDuflie,  who  has  taken  a  great  fancy  to  Caroline  and  shows  it 
by  trying  to  walk  with  the  same  stick.  James,  the  young  Adonis, 
is  not  so  much  changed  but  that  you  may  easily  picture  to  your- 
self how  he  looks  in  the  arms  of  the  respectable  Stewart,  who 
expects  him  to  be  admired  and  resents  the  want  of  admiration 
as  if  she  was  to  be  the  object  of  it.  But  I  can  not  give  you  a 
notion  of  Mr.  [Andrew]  Stevenson,  who  makes  dialogue  as  if  it 
was  for  the  stage;  and  of  whom,  it  is  enough  to  those  who  know 
how  rare  it  is,  to  say,  that  being  a  great  lawyer  and  a  great  poli- 
tician, he  never  talks  a  word  of  law  or  politics.  But  he  is  so 
kind  to  us,  and  encourages  us  so  much  by  the  liking  he  shows  for 
our  conversation,  that  it  is  enough  to  increase  one's  self-esteem. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  [Richard]  Singleton  appear  here  in  the  character 
of  persons  giving  tone  to  society.  She  is  not  ambitious,  but 
conscious  of  her  duty  to  Society  and  fulfilling  it  well.  Mr. 
Singleton  is  here  a  different  man  entirely  from  what  he  is  at  home. 
There  he  is  an  indefatigable  planter  and  inveterate  turfman. 
Here  he  is  the  politest  man  of  the  age,  scrupulously  attentive  to 
his  dress  and  marked  in  his  civility  to  the  ladies.  We  breakfast 
and  take  tea  with  them  every  day.  P'or  at  these  occasions  they 
have  their  own  table;  the  material  foimd  by  the  local  govern- 
ment, and  the  only  cause  of  hesitation  is  the  injustice  of  monopo- 
lizing the  seats,  which  might  be  filled  by  a  more  varied  company, 
and  give  them  the  opportunity  of  displaying  a  more  diffusive 
hospitality.  I  have  written  so  much  about  Mr.  [Henry]  Clay, 
that  I  have  only  to  say  that  he  enquired  after  the  Doctor  and 
made  many  kind  observations  about  him  and  aunt  Julia. 
Capt.  [John]  Tyler  and  his  dynasty  moved  yesterday  to  the 
Sweet  Springs. 

Our  duty  to  Ma;  to  the  magnanimous  youths  salutation;  I 
embrace  little  Adele  and  am  dear  Sue,  affectionately, 

Your  Father. 


246  ^i/<?,  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Sweet  Springs,  4th  September,  1845. 
My  dear  Sue: 

You  perceive  that  we  are  at  the  Sweet  Springs,  one  of  the 
nicest  places  in  the  mountains,  and  if  Ma  was  here,  I  think  she 
would  enjoy  it  more  than  any  other  scene  in  our  progress.  If  you 
ever  see  my  letters  to  Ma,  you  will  have  learned  all  the  import- 
ant matters  contained  in  our  journal  down  to  the  beginning  of 
this  month.  Wednesday  was  the  day  for  me  to  write  to  you  in 
course,  but  that  was  the  day  we  had  arranged  to  quit  the  Springs 
and  I  supposed  you  would  rather  hear  of  us  after  our  arrival  than 
before.  So  having  taken  a  whole  coach  and  appointed  9  o'clock 
for  it  to  be  at  the  door,  we  went  to  spend  Tuesday  evening  with 
Mrs.  Cabell,  where  Mr.  Clay,  General  Mercer,  Gov.  [George  R.] 
Gilmer  and  many  other  names  in  Virginia  well  known,  did  at  the 
same  time  repair  and  were  treated  to  watermelon  (a  present  to 
Mr.  Clay,  which  came  from  some  friend  far  off,  that  had  sent 
them  by  stage)  and  ice  cream  which  are  not  so  great  a  rarity  in 
the  mountains.  Mrs.  Cabell  is  a  very  amiable  woman,  and  her 
cottage  very  much  frequented  by  friends  of  herself  and  husband 
[William  H.  Cabell],  the  President-Judge  of  Virginia,  which  is 
what  they  would  call  in  Pennsylvania  the  Chief-Justice.  But 
it  is  perhaps  more  on  account  of  their  fair  daughter  than  for  any 
other  cause,  that  Mrs.  Cabell's  cottage  is  the  center  of  attraction. 
That  daughter  is  now  two-and-thirty  and  still  receives  the  hom- 
age of  true  Virginians  and  still  consigns,  every  year,  new  lovers 
to  despair.  Now  you  will  applaud  your  ready  wit  because  you 
need  no  time  to  discover  the  reason,  but  pronounce  at  once  that 
she  is  beautiful.  You  are  quite  mistaken;  she  never  was  and 
nobody,  not  even  among  the  great  rejected,  would  probably  say 
he  thought  she  was.  You  now  recollect  yourself,  feel  satisfied 
that  your  first  judgment  was  precipitate;  men  don't  think  so 
much  of  beauty  when  a  proposal  is  in  question,  and  you  now  are 
satisfied  that  her  long  reign  is  owing  to  another  and  more 
efficient  cause,  for  she  is  very  rich.  Out  again  my  dear,  the  poor 
Judge  has  nothing  but  his  salary  ?2750,  and  can't  resign  because 
he  would  starve.  Equally  vain  will  be  your  supposition  if  you 
suppose  she  is  witty  or  has  the  graces  of  speech.  In  fact,  she 
is  remarkable  in  no  way;  makes  no  effort  to  shine  and  does  not 
shine,  but  dresses,  talks  and  sits  like  a  staid,  sedate,  imper- 
turbable person.  And  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  the  secret  of 
her  success  is  to  be  found  in  that  principle  that  leads  men  to  take 
pleasure  in  a  difficulty  overcome.  (Read  Kame's  criticism 
through  on  Boileau's  "L'art  poetique,"  for  a  full  account  of  it.) 
It  is  because  she  is  so  hard  to  please,  that  all  the  world  are 
smitten  with  the  desire  of  pleasing  her.  But  to  return  to  the 
watermelons:  Mrs.  Wickham,  a  dowager  with  a  good  jointure, 


James  Louis  Petigru  247 

many  years  a  belle  and  long  at  the  head  of  Richmond  society, 
was  one  of  the  convives.  She  was  coming  to  the  Sweet  Springs, 
and  Mr.  Stevenson  had  advised  her  to  join  our  party,  so  it  was 
agreed  that  the  same  coach  should  contain  us.  With  Mary 
McDuffie  and  the  servant  that  Caroline  had  hired  at  the  Springs 
our  party  was  five;  Mrs.  Wickham  had  a  big  boy,  a  son  of  hers, 
one  of  that  class  of  animated  nature  called  cubs,  and  a  fat  atten- 
dant strongly  marked  with  African  features,  of  middle  age, 
called  a  maid.  So  that  our  extra  had  now  a  full  load  and  as  Mr. 
Turner,  a  contemporary  at  West  Point  of  your  Uncle  Charles, 
wished  a  place,  I  thought  it  was  as  well  to  make  a  voyage  of  it  and 
took  him  aboard.  And  now  we  are  fairly  under  way  and  have 
cleared  Mrs.  Caldwell's  gate,  when  Mrs.  Wickham  demanded 
her  umbrella.  The  maid  very  satisfactorily  answered  that 
she  put  it  in  the  coach,  but  presently,  Mrs.  Wickham  bethought 
her  that  seeing  is  believing,  and.would  see  it.  Then  commenced 
a  scuffle.  The  umbrella  could  not  be  found  and  the  dowager 
declared  the  umbrella  indispensible;  Cub  put  in  and  said  he 
would  make  out  on  the  outside  seat  with  mine.  But  before  we 
got  to  the  top  of  the  hill  the  dowager  was  out  upon  the  maid  and 
ordered  her  to  get  out  and  get  the  umbrella.  Nobody  opened 
the  door  and  the  maid  did  not  stir,  but  the  passion  was  now  at 
its  height  and  she  accompanied  her  orders  to  get  out  with  dig- 
ging at  the  back  and  sides  of  the  domestic  and  amidst  their  cries 
the  coachman  stopped.  The  dowager  declared  that  it  was  all 
the  same  thing  as  we  had  the  whole  day  before  us  and  only  16 
miles  to  go,  and  the  umbrella  must  supersede  everything. 
Luckily  the  umbrella,  which  was  all  the  time  under  the  front 
seat  at  the  bottom,  was  now  produced  by  the  indignant  menial 
and  we  got  under  way  once  more.  Nor  did  we  meet  with  any 
accident  further,  but  arrived  here  at  yi  after  one,  where  our 
friends  were  very  glad  to  see  us,  and  all  looking  very  well,  Mat- 
tie  being  a  great  deal  better  than  she  left  the  White  Sulphur 
Springs.  Our  friend  the  dowager,  while  our  baggage  was  taken 
off,  changed  her  mind  twice  between  the  choice  of  rooms  in  the 
Hotel  or  in  a  cottage;  finally,  the  cottage,  which  was  the  first 
idea,  was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Stevenson  gallantly  took  his  seat 
beside  her,  while  the  coach  was  driven  to  her  new  abode.  But 
he  came  back  crestfallen  for  the  dowager  was  shocked  when 
shown  her  room,  that  he  hadn't  it  in  comfortable  order,  while  he 
affects  to  consider  it  as  no  part  of  his  duty  to  make  up  the  beds 
and  put  things  to  rights.  Our  interesting  travelling  companion 
reminds  me  very  much  of  my  dear  friend  Mrs.  Neufville,  and  I 
am  alarmed  at  the  idea  of  superseding  Mr.  Stevenson  in  her  good 
opinion.  She  has  talked  of  coming  into  the  hotel  and  taking 
rooms  near  us;  in  that  case,  I  will  take  care  that  Caroline  shall 
find  it  impossible  to  live  in  the  hotel  so  far  from  Mattie.  She 
(Caroline)  made  her  appearance  last  night  in  the  parlor,  and  this 


248  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

morning  James  is  amusing  himself  with  a  soda  biscuit  in  his 
hands,  which  he  carries  to  his  mouth  in  a  business-Hke  way;  you 
may  conceive,  therefore,  that  we  are  not  falling  back.  Judge 
Huger  and  Daniel  arrived  at  dinner  yesterday.  The  Judge  is 
marvelous  improved  and  tho'  Daniel  has  an  eye  tied  up,  he  says 
that  his  condition  has  changed  a  great  deal  for  the  better.    *    *    * 

Your  affectionate  Father. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Sweet  Springs,  12  September,  1845. 
My  dear  Sue: 

My  letter  to  Ma  of  the  9th  which  I  did  hope  came  safe  to  hand, 
put  you  cL  meme  of  our  projected  turning  to  the  Red  Spring,  a 
modest  neighbour  of  this  one.  What  we  said  we  did,  and  paid 
our  bill  and  moved  over  to  Mr.  Sampson's  by  2  o'clock  that  day, 
where  we  found  young  Daniel  Elliot  Huger  and  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son of  Hamburgh  and  his  pretty  wife,  and  tho'  we  were  not  as 
well  lodged  as  at  the  Sweet,  we  were  far  better  fed.  But  it  was 
not  for  a  nice  table  that  we  had  made  that  change,  but  in  the 
hope  of  an  accelerated  pace  in  the  improvement  of  your  sister's 
looks  and  strength.  But  we  endured  the  doom  so  often  found 
by  people  not  content  with  doing  well.  The  famous  chalybeate 
bath  fed  by  the  Red  Spring,  which  gets  its  name  from  a  deposit 
of  that  colour  so  rapid  as  to  turn  everything  in  its  power  into 
stone,  proved  inauspicious  to  us.  The  bath  is  not  limpid  like 
the  Sweet;  it  is  not  so  spacious,  and  does  not  affect  the  imagin- 
ation so  agreeably.  As  I  did  not  go  into  it,  I  can  not  speak  of 
its  effect  on  the  senses  except  from  report,  and  in  this  case, 
Caroline  did  not  find  in  the  reality  any  compensation  for  the 
want  of  exterior  attractions.  That  was  set  down  however  to 
the  disadvantage  of  the  hour,  5  in  the  afternoon,  when  she  first 
went  into  it.  Next  morning,  the  10th,  it  was  worse  and  a  cold 
was  the  consequence,  which  put  a  stop  to  any  more  bathing 
there.  On  Thursday  we  had  been  joined  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Low- 
den,  and  they  proposed  a  walk  to  the  Sweet  Springs  (a  mile) 
and  Caroline  seemed  so  anxious  to  join  the  party,  that  I  could 
not  refuse  tho'  T  thought  it  hardly  right.  But  we  got  here  very 
easily  and  were  made  welcome  by  our  friends,  and  I  can  hardly 
say  we  were  pressed  to  stay,  for  Caroline  did  not  wait  for  press- 
ing, to  declare  her  disinclination  to  return.  It  was  soon 
arranged:  instead  of  the  best  quarters  at  the  place,  which  we 
gave  up  when  we  left  it  on  Tuesday,  we  took  very  inferior  ones 
and  I  returned  alone  to  the  Red  Springs  to  bring  James  and  the 
baggage.  But  the  announcement  was  very  disagreeable  to  the 
respectable  Stewart,  who  delighted  in  the  improved  table  of  Mr, 
Sampson,  and  contemplated  with  great  disgust  a  return  to  Mr. 
Massey's  scanty  supply  of  baked  meat,  and  still  more  penurious 


James  Louis  Petigru  249 

allowance  oi  milk  and  vegetables.  However,  cross  looks  have 
no  effect  on  James,  who  concerns  himself  very  little  with  them 
and  smiles  and  laughs  as  usual,  and  Caroline  having  carried  her 
point,  had  no  cause  to  distress  herself  at  the  unpopularity  of  the 
measure  with  those  who  could  not  prevent  it.  This  morning 
she  took  the  bath  here  with  great  success  and  repeated  it  today, 
with  so  much  comfort  to  herself,  that  the  effect  of  the  cold  is  now 
not  thought  of. 

Saturday,  the  13th. 
We  are  to  set  off  at  10  o'clock  (it  is  now  }4  past  9)  for  the 
White  Sulphur  again.  We  go  this  time  with  the  Singletons. 
They,  to  make  their  arrangements  for  leaving  the  mountains, 
which  they  make  easier  at  the  White  Sulphur  where  they  are 
most  at  home.  We,  to  drink  the  waters  for  a  week  more.  I 
think  Caroline  is  very  much  better.  The  bath  here  has  acted  as 
a  remedy  for  the  cold  she  took  at  the  Red,  and  if  it  was  not  for 
the  want  of  power  of  standing,  I  would  almost  think  she  was  well 
again,  but,  altho'  she  walks  very  well,  she  complains  as  soon  as 
she  is  still  if  there  is  no  seat  at  hand.  We  have  been  taking 
leave  of  our  acquaintances,  some  of  them  very  pleasant  people, 
of  whom  Caroline  will  talk  to  you  some  day.  But  nothing  can 
make  amends  for  want  of  Mr.  Stevenson.  He  went  last  Tuesday 
and  we  shall  not  see  him  again  unless  we  meet  at  Richmond. 
But  I  am  very  uncertain  where  to  go.  It  is  my  desire  to  con- 
sult some  physician  of  eminence  about  Caroline's  case  and  I  find 
in  that  wish  a  very  strong  reason  for  going  to  Philadelphia  and 
New  York.  A  better  reason  than  my  own  desire  to  see  those 
places  again;  a  desire  I  felt  more  strongly  when  we  left  home  than 

1  do  now.  Now  I  really  feel  more  inclination  for  home  than 
curiosity  for  what  is  to  be  seen  abroad.  Should  you  write  after 
receiving  this,  direct  to  the  White  Sulphur,  for  if  not  there, 
letters  will  be  forwarded.  Dear  Sue  I  am  glad  you  did  not  insult 
Mr.  Trapier,  but  sorry  you  came  so  near  doing  so.  He  is  an 
unpopular  man,  and  it  is  not  the  part  of  a  generous  mind  to  be 
merry  at  his  expense,  nor  does  it  become  us  churchmen  to  give 
an  example  of  disrespect  tor  the  Church  or  its  feeblest  minister 
in  these  times  of  schism.  My  duty  to  Ma;  remember  the  mag- 
nanimous youths;  I  embrace  little  Adele  and  am  dear  Sue, 

Your  affectionate  Father. 

to  mrs.  james  l.  petigru 

White  Sulphur  Springs,  16  Sept.,  1845. 
Your  not  writing,  my  dear  Jane,  is  a  proof  that  you  are  suf- 
fering every  day,  more  or  less,  from  those  cruel  pains,  which 
take   away   so  much  of  your  attention  from  every  subject  but 
your  own  distressing  situation.     *     *     *     \\q  arrived  here  at 

2  o'clock,  and  found  that  sort  of  change,  which  marks  the  tran- 


250  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

sitlon  from  gaiety  and  noise  to  the  silence  of  deserted  halls. 
There  are  still  about  60  here;  most  of  them  persons  like  our- 
selves, desirous  of  testing  the  water  by  a  full  trial.  It  must  be 
confessed  that  ours  now,  is  not  so  much  a  trial  or  experiment,  as 
a  confirmed  faith.  The  good  effects  desired  from  it  heretofore, 
induce  us  to  repeat  the  application,  with  a  strong  assurance  that 
it  will  be  still  more  efficacious.  This,  however,  is  our  last  week; 
on  Monday  or  Tuesday  next,  we  will  break  ground  on  our 
return.  Should  we  not  go  to  Philadelphia,  we  will  probably  see 
the  Natural  Bridge,  but  I  don't  suppose  that  we  will  attempt  to 
gain  a  sight  of  any  of  the  caves,  which  are  the  next  greatest 
curiosities  to  the  Bridge.  *  *  *  j  ^^g  much  tempted  to  go 
ahunting  yesterday,  for  my  reputation  is  much  enhanced  here, 
by  a  shooting  match,  in  which  I  carried  off  one  of  the  prizes. 
If  I  had  gone  they  would  have  expected  great  execution  from  me, 
but  I  preferred  to  stay  at  home  and  finish  the  last  No.  of  Thiers' 
"  Consulate  &  Empire, "  that  Caroline  brought  with  her.  James 
is  so  good  a  child,  that  he  is  almost  enough  to  reconcile  one  to  the 
character  of  a  grandfather.  By  the  way,  I  have  had  my  hair 
cut  since  I  was  here,  which  has  undeceived  people  on  the  subject 
of  the  wig,  in  which  they  firmly  believed.  This  was  a  great  pity, 
for  the  wig  was  considered  so  becoming,  that  it  was  in  a  fair  way 
of  setting  the  fashion,  and  might  have  made  me  distinguished 
as  a  leader.  The  greatest  lawyer  of  the  age  is  gone:  Judge 
Story.  I  hope  the  Bar  of  Charleston  will  pay  so  much  respect 
to  genius  and  learning  as  to  commemorate  his  death  by  some 
act  of  respect.  My  love  to  Sue,  and  remembrance  to  the  mag- 
nanimous Youth  and  I  am,  Dearest,  ever  Thine, 

Louis. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

White  Sulphur  Springs,  21  Sept.,  1845. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  These  two  letters  therefore,  are  the  balance  of  the 
account  which  will  be  left  in  your  hands  at  the  close  of  our  cor- 
respondence. We  are  going  to  leave  this  place  in  the  morning 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingraham.  Caroline  is  not  well  and  strong 
enough  to  travel  in  stages  that  keep  pace  with  the  mail,  and  I 
have  "chartered  a  coach,"  as  they  say  here,  to  Winchester, 
which  means,  that  we  have  all  the  coach  to  ourselves  and  stop 
when  we  please  and  pay  double  price;  that  is  to  say,  I  pay  for 
8  seats,  of  which  Mr.  Ingraham  takes  two  and  the  other  six  are 
for  us  and  the  maid,  whom  Caroline  will  leave  at  the  end  of  the 
second  day's  journey.  1  believe  we  will  leave  these  springs  with 
regret,  for  they  have  become  quite  natural  to  us.  Mr.  Caldwell, 
the  proprietor,  is  a  polite  old  gentleman,  who  never  was  intended 
for  an  innkeeper,  as  his  white  hair  and  small  cue  carefully  tied 


James  Louis  Petigru  25 1 

with  a  black  ribbon,  would  convince  any  (jne  at  a  glance.  He 
distinguishes  those  persons  that  he  considers  deserving  o{  his 
attention,  by  asking  them  to  take  wine  sometimes  at  his 
house;  and  very  good  wine  he  has.  But  there  is  something  in 
the  mountain  air,  and  more  especially  in  the  sulphur  water,  that 
makes  wine  an  expletive  here  and  even  renders  people  careless 
to  the  attractions  of  toddy  and  juleps,  tho'  these  last  are  greatly 
preferred  t(»  any  other  drinks  of  the  kind.  Mr.  Caldwell  puts 
us  on  the  footing  of  his  distinguished  guests  and  not  only  his  wine 
is  at  my  service,  but  his  game  is  offered  to  Caroline  who,  in  con- 
sequence, has  sometimes  a  nice  pheasant  for  breakfast.  Of 
Judge  Cabell  and  his  family,  particularly  his  uncommon  daugh- 
ter who,  by  the  absence  not  only  ot  all  affectation  but  even,  ot  the 
show  of  any  desire  to  please,  has  enslaved  more  hearts  than  any 
coquette  of  her  times,  you  know  everything,  except  that  they 
go  away  tomorrow  too.  Indeed,  I  don't  know  whf)  are  going  to 
stay,  except  Mrs.  Skinner,  a  Virginia  woman  that  lives  in  New 
Orleans  and  is  waiting  here  for  her  husband.  This  lady,  for 
the  extreme  gracility  to  which  her  figure  has  been  brought  and 
the  ample  outline  of  her  tournure,  appears  here  like  a  strange 
bird  in  the  farmyard.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gamage  have  been  gone 
since  Tuesday.  I  advised  Mr.  Gamage  strongly  to  go  along  with 
his  wife,  till  he  saw  her  on  board  the  Wilmington  boat,  and  not 
to  trust  to  hooking  on  to  other  people  but  take  care  of  his  wife 
himself.  I  hope  they  took  my  advice  and  that  she  has  gone  home 
where  her  presence  must  be  so  much  desired  by  her  daughter. 
I  assure  you  Sue,  I  begin  to  feel  very  anxious  to  see  home  and  my 
friends,  and  this  sentiment  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  com- 
municate to  the  magnanimous  youths,  and  assure  Ma  of  my 
love  and  duty.  Receive  my  congratulations  on  the  opening 
virtues  of  little  Adele  who  will,  I  hope,  serve  as  a  counterpart  of 
James'  character,  he  the  best  of  men;  she  the  sweetest  of  her  sex, 
and  be  assured  dear  Sue,  of  the  affectionate  regard  and  constant 
wishes  for  your  happiness  of 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

White  Sulphur  Springs,  Va., 

21st  September,  1845. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Caroline's  spirits  are  good  and  she  walks  about  with 
animation,  but  she  complains  of  her  knees  and  of  much  weak- 
ness besides.  I  am  convinced  that  her  health  requires  very 
diligent  and  sensible  'attention.  I  am  afraid  that  she  is  not 
likely  to  learn  how  to  manage  it,  and  that  there  are  none  about 
her  from  whom  in  this  particular,  she  can  expect  much  assistance. 
However,  we  have  great  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  that 


252  J^ijs^  Letters  and  Speeches 

our  expedition  to  this  place  has  been  so  favorable.  If  I  had 
known  how  much  was  ailing  her  before  I  left  home,  I  would  have 
been  more  on  my  guard,  and  not  run  the  risk  I  did  in  traveling 
by  the  mail  stage.  Being  now  warned  of  that  difficulty,  I  have 
provided  against  it  by  chartering  a  coach,  as  they  call  it  here, 
or  hiring  an  Extra,  as  they  say  further  North.  The  consequence 
of  this  is,  we  will  travel  as  we  please  and  not  run  the  risk  of 
breaking  down  by  excessive  fatigue  or  by  loss  of  sleep  in  riding 
at  night.  We  go  from  this  place  to  Winchester,  and  from  Win- 
chester there  is  a  railroad  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  there  a  junction 
with  the  Baltimore  Rail  Road;  we  will  get  to  Baltimore  in  5  days 
if  we  do  not  stop  on  the  way.  I  am  not  sure  that  we  shall  go 
any  farther  north  than  that  place.  We  shall  probably  see  Wash- 
ington, return  to  Baltimore  and  take  the  way  home  by  Chesa- 
peake Bay,  or  proceed  from  Washington  to  Richmond  and  so  on 
by  the  railroad  to  Wilmington.  But  I  am  no  means  fixed  in  my 
mind  about  visiting  Philadelphia  and  New  York,  the  latter  of 
which  I  should  like  very  much  to  see.  If  we  should  extend  our 
journey  northward,  I  will  write  to  you  again,  otherwise  you  will 
not  hear  from  me  till  we  see  Charleston.  *  *  *  When  we 
came  to  this  place,  there  were  more  than  600  people;  now  there 
are  hardly  30.  We  have  not  made  many  acquaintances,  yet  we 
have  met  with  some  agreeable  people  that  I  would  like  to  see 
again.  Such  as  Judge  Cabell,  and  his  wife  and  his  uncommon 
daughter,  who  has  no  remarkable  beauty  nor  manners  nor  taste 
in  dress;  neither  shines  nor  tries  to  please,  except  by  offending 
nobody,  and  yet  has  enslaved  more  hearts  than  the  greatest 
coquette  of  her  day, 

"No  conquest  she  but  o'er  herself  desired, 
No  arts  essayed  but  not  to  be  admired. " 

Mr.  Clay  was  here  a  fortnight,  the  central  point  as  long  as  he 
staid,  of  all  the  attractions  of  the  place.  He  behaved  exceed- 
ingly well;  is  much  more  sedate  than  in  1844,  and  if  not  pious, 
evidently  more  under  the  influence  of  devotional  feelings  than 
he  used  to  be.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother, 
to  susan  petigru 

Milledgeville,  27  November,  1845. 
My  dear  Sue: 

As  pure  gold  is  but  proved  by  the  furnace,  my  affection  as  you 
see,  triumphs  over  all  the  temptations  of  Milledgeville  and  for- 
bids me  to  forget  you  or  little  Adele.  And  yet,  this  is  what  is 
called  in  the  Geographies  a  capital  town  and  is  now  at  a  season, 
like  the  Chrysanthemums  of  St.  Michael's  Alley,  in  full  blow.  All 
the  wisdom  of  the  State,  as  far  as  the  people  are  capable  of  find- 
ing it  out,  is  here  selected,  so  that  Society  is  not  to  be  deplored. 


James  Louis  Peti^u  253 

We  live  at  Mrs.  Hayne's  in  a  large  brick  house  and  I  have  a 
whole  room  to  myself,  more  than  20  feet  square,  and  firewood 
without  stint.  Certainly,  in  such  circumstances,  you  would 
not  have  thought  it  surprising  that  I  should  forget  home.  Well 
dear,  1  do  not  mean  to  boast,  but  take  for  granted  that  you  will 
readily  and  at  once  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  great  proof  of  papa's 
affections  that  he  finds  time  in  such  a  place  to  write.  The  time 
is  not  snatched,  to  be  sure,  from  pleasure  but  from  weariness  of 
spirit.  It  is  now  7  years  that  I  have  been  pursuing  the  Legisla- 
ture with  the  complaint  that  they  owe  us  money,  which,  in 
common  honesty,  they  should  pay.  They  are  now  making  a 
great  effort  to  be  just;  the  height  to  which  they  aspire  will  ele- 
vate them  greatly  in  the  moral  scale,  but  Virtue  does  require  such 
sacrifices,  it  is  still  questionable  whether  they  will  be  able  to 
reconcile  to  human  weakness  the  magnanimous  resolution  of 
paying  the  principle  without  any  interest  after  50  years  of  dis- 
honest evasion.  As  to  their  paying  any  interest,  that  I  believe 
is  a  forlorn  hope.  On  Tuesday  next,  however,  the  issue  will  be 
tried  and  we  will  see  what  is  to  become  of  the  claim  for  the  pres- 
ent at  least,  as  it  is  made  the  order  of  the  day  for  that  day.  My 
time  is  spent  in  reading  a  couple  of  reviews  and  a  law  book  I 
brought  with  me  and  occasionally  a  few  chapters  of  Tacitus; 
going  to  the  State  House;  listening  to  proceedings  of  no  interest, 
regularly  adjourned  at  the  hour  of  dinner,  which  is  here  1  o'clock. 
Nothing  on  earth  could  induce  them  as  it  seems,  to  put  off  that 
important  business  five  minutes  beyond  the  appropriate  time. 
In  the  afternoon  there  is  the  going  to  the  Post  Office,  where  one 
sees  everybody  and  then,  after  dawdling  away  an  hour  or  two, 
supper  comes  at  sundown,  and  the  interval  between  supper  and 
bedtime  is  spent  just  like  the  rest  of  the  day.  !  came  here  with 
a  bad  cold  and  have  outlived  it.  The  weather  has  been  very 
warm  till  the  last  24  hours  and  now  it  is  quite  cold.  I  wish  you 
would  write  and  let  me  know  how  Ma  is,  and  when  you  are  going 
to  move,  and  how  Henry  and  George  Street  are.  I  may  be  home 
in  a  week  and  may  remain  till  near  Christmas.     Adieu. 

Your  Father. 

to  captain  thomas  petigru 

Charleston,  8th  December,  1846. 
My  dear  Tom: 

*  *  *  There  Is  going  to  be  a  great  rise  in  property,  so  my 
friend,  Conner,  tells  me,  and,  of  course,  you  will  never  find  a 
house  so  cheap  again.  Chisolm  (John)  has  bought  Howland's. 
Carson  wharf  is  advertised  for  the  22d  and  it  is  a  very  interest- 
ing question  whether  it  will  sell  for  $100,000.  They  gave 
?1  20,000.  1  am  afraid  the  loss  will  be  very  great.  It  would 
not  be  so  bad  if  the  money  were  lost  already,  but  as  they  bought 


254  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

on  credit,  the  money  is  lost  before  it  is  found,  and  I  am  afraid 
the  finding  ot  it  will  be  a  very  hard  trial  of  some  people's  ability. 
*  *  *  I  have  concluded  an  arrangement  with  Mr.  Coster's 
executors,  by  which  I  am  cut  loose  from  the  Oswitchie  Company 
forever.  The  deed  was  signed  on  the  4th,  on  a  written  promise 
to  release  me,  which  is  as  good  as  the  release  itself.  *  *  * 
This  day  week  I  will  go  to  Columbia  to  argue  a  case. 
My  love  to  Anne,  and  the  sisterhood  and  childhood. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Milledgeville,  10th  December,  1845. 
This  is  the  beginning  of  the  second  month  my  dear  Sue,  since 
I  have  seen  you  or  any  of  you.  It  was  not  believed  when  I  used 
to  say,  perhaps  I  will  be  gone  a  month;  it  was  not  believed  even 
by  myself,  that  it  would  be  a  month  in  reality  that  I  would  pass 
in  this  hole.  And  it  astonishes  me  even,  that  I  remain  here  so 
composedly.  Nor  is  the  period  of  our  deliverance  any  more 
certain  than  it  has  been  all  along.  The  expectation  of  getting 
the  amount  of  the  debt  is  abandoned  on  all  hands.  It  is  only 
the  principal  which  is  expected,  50  years  of  interest  being  re- 
garded as  abolished.  Our  case  was  to  be  heard  on  Tuesday  2d  inst. 
and  it  was  begun  to  be  heard,  when  a  man  with  a  crooked  nose, 
called  Sanford,  moved  to  put  off  the  further  consideration  of  it, 
till  he  could  examine  and  satisfy  his  mind  on  the  merits  of  the 
case.  One  would  suppose  from  this,  that  he  had  a  design  to 
compare  the  evidence  with  the  most  approved  ideas  of  justice 
and  to  give  an  opinion  like  a  moralist  or,  at  least,  like  a  jurist 
when  the  discussion  came  on  again.  Quite  the  contrary;  he 
employed  all  the  intermediate  time  in  preparing  his  dull  mind 
to  show  in  a  speech  that  a  debt  which  has  been  due  upwards  of 
60  years  must  be  an  old  debt  and  therefore  suspicious,  and  if 
suspicious,  not  perfectly  clear.  This  pattern  of  reason  and 
argument  was  the  work  of  the  5th  inst.  Mr.  Harris,  a  very  good 
lawyer  and  a  different  sort  of  person,  made  an  answer  to  this 
suspicious  specimen  of  Honesty,  but  unfortunately  when  he  had 
concluded,  the  hour  of  One  had  arrived;  an  hour  in  these  regions 
set  apart  with  something  like  religious  scrupulosity  to  the  con- 
suming of  bad  victuals.  Of  course  the  House  dispersed,  prom- 
ising to  return  at  3,  and  at  3  many  did  come,  but  Judge  Kenon, 
a  very  intellectual  personage,  who  is  scarcely  less  than  7  feet 
high  and  of  corresponding  proportions,  and  who  as  Judge  was 
chiefly  famous  for  sustaining  his  judgements  by  his  big  looks, 
now  moved  another  adjournment  of  the  question,  which  was 
carried  of  course,  the  more  readily  because  everybody  supposed 
the  Judge  was  just  the  person  to  oppose  the  claim.  But  it  so 
happens  the  Judge  is  my  fast  friend;  a  friendship  cemented  by 


'James  Louis  Petigru  255 

the  contents  of  a  small  Dutch  liquor  case,  which  5  or  6  years  ago 
was  brought  here  filled  with  generous  liquor  not  the  worse  for 
the  keeping.     To  cut  short  the  story  of  this  long  delay,  the  case 
was  put  off  till  Monday  the  8th,  and  then  at  my  request,  con- 
tinued till  Thursday  the  11th,  which  is  tomorrow.     But  tomor- 
row will  be  occupied  with  the  unfinished  business  of  today  and 
if  a  vote  is  even  taken  on  the  case,  it  is  likely  to  be  some  time 
about  Friday  or  Saturday  next.     As  to  the  result,  we  have  can- 
vassed the  130  members  of  the  House  and  suppose  that  73  of 
them  are  in  our  favor.     Yet  strange  things  sometimes  happen 
when  votes  are  actually  counted,  and  the  result  is  wide  of  the  mark 
which  the  best  informed  people  had  fixed  on.     If  the  Hill  passes 
the  House,  it  has  still  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  the  senatorial  wis- 
dom, which  is  scarcely  less  appalling  than  the  representative 
greatness  of  the  other  House.     I  saw  today  a  very  remarkable 
family:  a  mother  with  three  sons  (you  can  not  call  them  twins 
when  there  are  three)  seven  months  old,  all  very  fine  hearty 
children.     She  is  a  young  person  not  ill-looking,  and  far  from  a 
desponding  expression   of  countenance.     Indeed,   she   had   no 
reason  to  despair  today,  for  of  the  crowd  that  gathered  to  see 
the  children,  many  contributed  to  their  nurture  and  a  sort  of 
rivalry  having  sprung  up  between  my  friend  Judge  Kenon  and  a 
contemporary  of  his  they  went  on  outvying  one  another,  till 
the  poor  woman  and  her  brats  were  15  dollars  in  gold  better  off. 
The  father  of  the  interesting  family  does  not  make  any  part  of 
the  show.     He  is  said  to  be  laid  up  at  home  with  rheumatism; 
not  unlikely,  as  they  live  in  the  mountains.     One  of  our  Mem- 
bers died  on  Monday  and  was  buried  yesterday.     He  died  in  the 
same  house  I  was  staying  in,  and  was  a  countryman  of  ours 
originally  from  Edgefield.     He  was  a  poor  sort  of  creature  that 
had  no  sort  of  idea  of  taking  care  of  himself  and  could  not  be 
kept  out  of  the  worst  weather  when  able  to  leave  the  house,  tho' 
he  was  in  a  galloping  consumption.     Last  night  the  Governor's 
Levee,  as  it  is  called,  took  place.     Apple  toddy  was  furnished  the 
men,  who  did  not  abuse  the  privilege  more  than  is  sometimes 
seen  in  places  of  more  pretension;  not  more  than  Ma's  company 
in  the  times  that  you  don't  remember,  but  which  you  may  if  you 
are  clever  to  coax  Ma  some  time  to  tell  you  of.     Poor  Mrs. 
Crawford  is  the  last  person  in  the  world  that  popularity  seems 
intended  for.     She  is  by  no  means  without  a  due  sense  of  her 
merit,  in  fact,  her  conversation  is  rather  ambitious,  but  she  has 
no  turn  for  entertaining  and  does  not  try.     They  are  very  dull 
things  at  best,  but  might  ha\e  been  improved  by  the  dancing  of 
the  young  people;  yet,  altho'  the  music  was  there,  nobody  had 
spirit  enough  to  call  out  a  dance.     There  was  no  resource  there- 
fore, but  to  walk  round  and  round  the  room  or  join  some  dismal 
group  seated  against   the  wall.     I   am   always  delighted  with 
details  of  ciomestic  life,  when  they  relate  to  those  I  love,  and  read 


256  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

with  interest  all  you  wrote  about  the  Aunts  and  George  Street 
and  Ma.  *  *  *  I  hope  Ma  continues  to  defend  the  virtues 
of  mesmerism  by  her  example  even  more  than  by  her  tongue. 
Make  me  remembered  to  Henry.     I  embrace  little  Adele  and 

am,  dear  Sue, 

Your  affectionate  Father. 

TO  MRS.  jane   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  November  5,  1847. 
*     *     *     Wish  me  good  luck  at  Milledgeville,  for  if  I  succeed 
I  will,  in  a  year,  be  out  of  debt. 


Ja7nes  Louis  Petigru  257 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

1846-1847 

Hospitality;  Dress  Coat  "Destituated";  A  Mean   Inn; 

Daniel;  Mexico 

to  captain  thomas  petigru 

December  29,  1846. 
On  Xmas  day  I  had  Butler  (the  Colonel)  and  B.  T.  Watts  to 
dine  with  me  and  William,  and  we  had  a  very  pleasant  day, 
though  we  were  all  vastly  sober.  My  cold,  which  had  been 
very  severe,  would  hardly  allow  me  to  show  them  an  example  of 
doing  justice  to  the  wine.  Governor  Johnson  is  here,  busy  in 
getting  off  the  volunteers.  The  last  of  them  moved  this  morn- 
ing for  Hamburg.  It  is  not  known  who  will  be  the  brigadier. 
I  have  heard  that  it  has  been  offered  to  Gadsden,  and  there  is 
an  inclination  to  press  Butler's  claims  for  jt.     *     *     * 

TO  CAPTAIN  THOMAS   PETIGRU 

Charleston,  25th  November,  1846. 
My  dear  Tom: 

*  *  *  Everything  is  in  the  same  track.  Prices  are  good. 
Folks  are  saucy;  news  scarce.  William  Blanding's  company  is 
not  filled  yet.  To  my  surprise  William  Gillison,  of  Coosa- 
whatchie,  a  man  that  has  a  wife,  probably  children,  good  plan- 
tation, negroes  to  work  it,  has  come  down  here  and  enrolled  his 
name  as  a  full  private.     I  think  he  must  be  a  little  cracked. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Savannah,  8th  July,  1846. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  We  did  not  work  on  Monday,  but  went  to  work  on 
Tuesday,  when  the  Judges  heard  two  speeches.  Today  they 
hear  Mr.  McAlister;  tomorrow  they  will  hear  Judge  Berrien  and 
me  probably  on  Friday.  Then  there  remain  two  other  causes, 
which  will  be  likely  to  consume  much  of  next  week.  In  packing 
up,  I  made  many  mistakes:  came  away  without  a  night-shir^ 
and  put  in  my  trunk  for  a  dress  coat,  a  thing  thoroughly  worn 
out  with  a  great  rent  under  the  arm.  For  this  last  mistake  I 
blame  Ma,  for,  if  she  had  not  "destituated"  the  house  (as  poor 


258  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

Dr.  LeSeigneur  said)  this  old  rag  would  not  have  been  in  my 
drawers  nor  found  its  way  into  my  trunk.  It  was  very  fortunate 
that  I  took  a  survey  of  the  condition  of  the  coat  before  I  put  it  on 
to  attend  a  dinner  party  to  which  I  went  on  Monday,  otherwise, 
I  would  have  been  acting  the  part  of  Diogenes  without  his  Tub. 
It  has  been  awful  hot;  my  opinion  that  this  climate  is  better  than 
Charleston  is  undergoing  a  change.  My  love  to  Ma;  to  Aunt 
Jane  likewise,  and  I  am,  dear  Sue,  for  you  and  Henry  and  Adele, 

Your  loving  Pa  &  Grandpapa. 

to  captain  thomas  petigru 

Charleston,  June  28,  1847. 
My  dear  Tom : 

*  *  *  Dan  is  not  gone.  Sitgreaves  had  only  sixty-three 
men  and  ordered  Dan  to  remain  for  recruiting.  I  was  sorry  for 
it,  but  could  not  prevent  it,  and  the  military  men  say  it  is  better 
for  him  if  he  will  fill  up  his  company.  But  when  that  will  be 
I  know  not,  for  the  complement  is  no  less  than  forty.  I 
thought  he  had  written  to  you  for  your  advice  whether  he 
should  try  Abbeville.  In  this  place  he  picks  up  a  recruit  or 
two  in  a  week,  perhaps  more.  Not  one  of  the  companies  has 
been  filled  up.  Hamilton  and  Manigault,  two  of  the  new  cap- 
tains, have  not,  I  believe,  more  than  fifty  between  them  and 
Sitgreaves  got  only  five  and  twenty  in  York  and  the  upper  dis- 
tricts. On  the  other  hand  the  North  Carolina  companies  had 
over  their  complements. 

You  will  see  by  the  newspapers  (if  they  reach  you)  that  dis- 
order seems  to  increase  in  Mexico,  and  that  the  guerillas  have 
had  the  impudence  to  attack  Mcintosh  and  take  away  some  of 
his  wagons.     *     *     * 

I  will  go  as  soon  as  I  can  get  away  from  this  place,  of  which  I 
am  heartily  tired,  and  will  be  happy  when  I  join  you  in  riding 
over  those  poor  fields  of  yours,  where  there  is  so  little  to  see, 
except  always  the  attachment  to  the  native  soil  so  celebrated  in 
song  and  so  little  in  fashion  among  our  roving  and  adventurous 
bands.  Love  to  the  sisters  three  and  children  all  and  our  dear 
captain.     Affectionately, 

Your  Brother. 

Daniel  was  the  only  son  of  Mr.  Petigru  and  was  the  favorite 
child  of  his  mother.  He  was  now  twenty-three  years  old, — 
small,  good-looking,  clever  at  repartee,  told  a  good  story  and 
sang  with  a  fine  tenor  voice.  He  had  been  a  student  at  Prince- 
ton, had  been  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  South  Carolina,  and  on  the 
9th  of  April,  1847,  was  appointed  first  lieutenant  of  the  United 


James  Louis  Petigru  1S9 

States  Army  and  assigned  to  the  Third  Regiment  of  Dragoons. 
According  to  the  records  of  the  War  Department  Dan  joined 
his  Regiment  in  Mexico,  October  26,  1847.  In  December  of 
that  year  he  was  made  Captain  and  assigned  commander  of  a 
company  till  February,  1848;  was  then  placed  under  arrest  and 
continued  to  have  a  succession  of  scrapes;  he  only  escaped  being 
cashiered  by  the  Regiment  being  disbanded  in  July,  1848. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Sullivans  Island,  9  October,  1847. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  Dan  set  off  this  day  week  with  his  men,  11  or  12. 
They  told  me  at  the  hotel  in  Augusta,  that  he  had  been  there 
the  evening  before  I  arrived  and  was  disappointed  in  not  meet- 
ing me.  He  would  have  done  so  if  I  had  not  been  disappointed, 
for  that  was  the  evening  that  I  had  intended  to  reach  Augusta. 
The  grass  in  our  plot  is  beautiful.  The  new  gate  to  the  church 
is  the  greatest  improvement  on  the  Island,  and  the  churchyard, 
tho'  not  quite  free  from  cockspurs,  is  a  pleasant  place  to  see. 
At  Columbia  the  rumor  of  Mr.  Polk's  death  was  firmly  believed. 
Mr.  Elmore  had  had  such  an  account  of  his  situation  as  to  make 
the  account  of  his  near  dissolution  very  probable,  but  the  news 
and  the  contradiction  of  it  excited  very  little  interest.  I  am 
grieved  that  Gen.  Clinch  has  lost  his  election,  tho'  it  is  some 
consolation  that  the  Whigs  have  secured  both  branches  of  the 
Legislature  as  seems  probable.  I  embrace  little  Adele  and 
breathe  a  warm  greeting  to  Henry  and  Mr.  King  and  all  his 
familiar  circle. 

Your  Father, 
to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  October  18,  1847. 
My  dear  Sister: 

You  have  seen  in  the  papers  already  the  death  of  Judge 
Harper.  The  Bar  had  called  a  meeting  here  in  my  absence, 
for  I  arrived  from  Columbia  yesterday  in  the  car,  and  seeing  the 
notice  this  morning,  I  attended  the  meeting.  It  was  a  great 
surprise  to  me  to  hear  one  of  the  resolutions,  viz.,  that  which 
relates  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  wait  on  Mr.  Petigru 
and  make  arrangement  with  him  for  delivering  the  eulogy.  I 
must  undertake  it  though  it  is  a  duty  to  which  I  do  not  feel 
equal.     *     *     * 

I  think  this  is  enough  for  an  invalid  to  read  at  one  time,  and 
with  love  to  sister  and  children  am,  dearest  Jane, 

Your  Brother. 


260  ^{/^^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Milledgeville,  22  November,  1847. 
My  dear  Sue: 

I  received  your  letter  today  and  right  glad  I  was  of  it,  and 
more  obliged  because  you  wrote  first.     It  is  15  days  that  I  have 
been  here  and  every  day  I  have  felt,  more  than  I  did  at  any  of 
my  former  visits,  that  I  am  out  of  place.     The  members  of  the 
Georgia  Legislature  are  mostly  new  men.     Out  of  167,  there  are 
only  35  who  were  here  two  years  ago.     Then  my  petition  \yas 
lost  by  a  vote  of  63  to  59  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  which 
consists  of  130  members.     Now,  of  these  130,  there  are  just  30 
who  are  here,  of  whom,  20  voted  against  the  claim  and  9  for  it, 
and  one  was  absent  at  the  vote.     Last  Saturday  we  had  a  sort  of 
preliminary  trial,  on  a  motion  to  print  the  report  of  the  Commit- 
tee, which  report  is  as  favorable  as  it  could  have  been  if  I  had 
written  it  myself.     Well,  the  vote  stood  for  printing  57,  against 
it  62.     And  what  is  strange,  with  two  exceptions,  every  man 
who  had  formerly  voted  against  the  claim,  voted  against  print- 
ing.    Now  the  great  question,  whether  they  will  pass  the  bill, 
will  come  up  early  next  week,  and  one,  who  voted  for  printing, 
says  he  will  vote  against  the  bill  and  I  am  sure  he  will,  so  that 
the  vote  will  be,  in  all  probability,  very  close  and  the  presump- 
tion very  much  against  the  passing  of  the  bill  in  the  House,  and 
if  it  passes  in  the  House,  it  has  to  undergo  the  ordeal  of  a  pas- 
sage in  the  Senate.     There,  of  the  5  old  members  three  are  for 
it  and  two  against  it.     In  all  probability  the  vote  in  the  House 
will  decide  the  matter.     You  will  judge  whether  I  have  any 
reason  to  be  in  high  spirits  with  such  a  prospect.     But  I  bear 
up  bravely  and  try  to  make  friends,  and  succeed  in  wearing  a 
cheerful  countenance.     I  don't  know  how  far  I  am  indebted  for 
this  success  to  the  stock  of  philosophy  which  I  have  laid  in  since 
I  came  here,  but  under  the  impression  that  I  had  need  of  all  the 
aid  of  that  sort  that  I  could  get,  I  have  purchased  four  volumes 
on  the  "Light  of  Nature,"  by  Abraham  Tucker.     It  is  a  very 
good  book,  and  if  I  do  not  get  the  case,  I  will  have  the  book  to 
console  me  when  I  return  home.     Tom  Thumb  is  the  great 
attraction  of  Milledgeville  just  now.     He  arrived  this  morning 
or  yesterday,  I  don't  know  which,  and  I  have  a  mind  to  go  to 
see  him  tomorrow,  tho'    have  but   little   inclination   for  seeing 
people    distinguished    for    inferiority,    as    I    have    opportunity 
enough  for  such  observations  in  the  Georgia  Legislature.     My 
success  in  the  grand  mission  is  supposed  to  depend  on  the  vote  of 
Mr.  Mosely,  a  baptist  preacher  of  that  sort  denominated  "hard 
shells."     He  is  a  Whig  and  that  seems  favorable,  but  he  voted 
against  the  printing  of  the  Report  and  that  seems  very  ominous, 
and  he  preserves  on  the  subject  of  paying  Peter  Trezevant  a 
silence,  which  is  well  calculated  to  make  us  dread  his  decision. 


James  Louis  Petigru  261 

If  he  pronounces  the  dreaded  negative,  I  will  probably  be  sooner 
at  home,  but  whether  sooner  or  later,  it  will  give  me  sincere 
pleasure  to  embrace  little  Adele  and  to  receive,  dear  Sue,  your 
cordial  welcome.  *  *  *  Your  allusion  to  Mrs.  Day  is  per- 
fectly unintelligible.  Can  it  be  possible  that  F.  Day,  the  punc- 
tual tenant,  the  thrifty  tradesman,  the  master  of  the  most 
fashionable  shop  in  King  Street,  has  failed?  Why,  there  is 
nothing  in  the  downfall  of  Ministers  of  State,  so  significant  of 
the  vanity  of  Fortune,  for  this  would  be  the  downfall  of  vanity 
itself.  My  account  of  myself  would  be  very  deficient  if  I  failed 
to  mention  my  having  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Herschell 
Johnson,  wife  of  the  distinguished  Georgian,  who  wrote  down 
Gen.  Clinch  and  will  be  one  day  a  Governor,  if  he  meets  with 
half  of  his  deserts,  as  I  am  assured  by  Mrs.  Herschell  herself, 
who  knows  him  better  than  anybody  else.  Nothing  prevents 
him  from  being  acknowledged  for  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers  in 
America,  so  she  says,  but  his  aversion  to  study.  Let  our  friend 
Henry  think  of  that.  Even  his  great  alliance  with  Mr.  Polk's 
cousin,  for  such  Mrs.  Herschell  is,  can  not  avail  to  make  him  the 
equal  of  Judge  Berrien  at  the  bar,  without  submitting  to  the 
trammels  of  plodding  industry.  Good  night  my  dear  Sue;  I 
have  been  interrupted  too;  it  is  after  12  o'clock. 

Your  Father. 


TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Milledgeville,  24th  Nov.,  1847. 
My  dear  Jane: 

Your  letters  of  the  4th  and  15th  insts,  have  made  me  doubly 
your  debtor,  and  you  must  not  measure  my  feelings  by  the  slow- 
ness of  my  pen.  It  will  be  just  3  weeks  next  Friday  since  I  left 
home.  I  came  here  on  the  7th,  which  was  Sunday  morning  and 
attended  church  in  the  afternoon,  where  I  saw  Mrs.  Thomas. 
She  plays  the  organ  and  her  daughter  (niece)  sings  in  the  small 
choir,  and  Mr.  Tinsley,  the  Secretary  of  State,  who  for  a  wonder 
is  a  churchman,  leads.  Mr.  Thomas  shows  a  wonderful  docility 
in  accommodating  his  religion  to  his  wife;  for,  brought  up  as  he 
has  been  on  the  frontier,  his  own  notions  of  the  duty  of  worship 
might  be  expected  to  partake  of  the  Indian's  more  than  those  of 
the  inhabitants  of  cities.  But  Mrs.  Thomas  has  not  only  a 
church  built,  but  has  her  husband  and  children  regularly  there 
to  make  up  a  congregation.  T  have  been  to  their  house  last 
Sunday  and  the  Sunday  before  and  probably  will  go  home  with 
them  tomorrow,  as  it  is  a  Thanksgiving  day,  and  will  take  care 
to  make  her  acquainted  with  your  remembrance.  This  place  is 
filled  with  new  faces.  Out  of  130  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  there  are  only  29  of  those  whom  I  met  here 


262  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

two  years  ago.  Unfortunately  out  of  them,  there  are  just  19  of 
the  same  men,  63  in  number,  who  voted  then  against  me,  and 
only  9  of  those  who  voted  for  me.  They  had  been  a  week  in 
session  when  1  came  here,  and  nothing  had  been  done,  for  they 
had  been  caucusing  all  the  time,  and  the  election  of  Senators, 
which  was  the  great  interest  of  the  Session,  did  not  take  place  till 
Friday,  the  12th  inst.  Judge  Berrien  succeeded  in  the  darling 
object  of  his  life,  and  in  spite  of  great  opposition,  got  89  of  his 
party  to  vote  for  him,  which  just  elected  him.  He  had  not  one 
vote  to  spare;  one  Whig  was  sick  and  one  voted  a  blank,  and  he 
got  all  the  rest.  To  think  of  a  man  of  70  canvassing  for  a  six 
years'  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  as  keenly  as  if  he 
had  a  long  life  before  him,  and  one  must  be  satisfied  that  ambi- 
tion that  will  follow  him  to  his  grave.  Dawson  was  then  elected 
to  fill  the  place  of  Judge  Colquit,  whose  term  will  expire  on  3d 
March,  1849.  He  was  on  the  brink  of  betraying  his  party  and 
going  over  to  the  Democrats.  To  prevent  his  treachery,  they 
were  obliged  to  postpone  Crawford,  the  late  Governor,  who  was 
the  choice  of  his  party  and  his  State,  and  who  was  sacrificed  to 
the  policy  of  that  party.  These  things  being  done,  the  members 
began  to  think  of  business.  My  petition  was  presented  and 
referred  to  committees  in  both  Houses,  and  they  both  reported 
in  favor  of  paying  Mr.  Trezevant,  and  the  Bill  for  that  purpose 
has  been  read  once  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  It  will  be 
read  a  second  time  probably  on  Friday  or  Saturday  next,  and 
the  third  reading,  which  is  the  great  test,  will  probably  take 
place  about  the  4th  or  5th  December.  If  it  should  be  rejected 
by  the  vote  of  the  House,  as  is  but  too  likely,  my  business  will 
then  be  over.  Should  it  pass,  it  will  be  by  a  very  close  vote,  and 
there  seems  very  little  doubt  that  if  it  passes  the  House,  it  will 
go  through  the  Senate,  and  in  that  case,  I  will  soon  be  in  a  con- 
dition to  pay  off  my  debts;  that  is,  my  commission  on  this  claim 
will  pay  so  much  debt,  that  I  will  not  have  more  than  6  or  7,000 
dollars  more  to  provide  for.  I  do  my  best  to  conciliate  the  minds 
of  men  by  respectfully  approaching  as  many  as  I  can,  and  show- 
ing them  the  reasons  which  prove  incontestibly  that  I  am  en- 
titled to  what  I  am  asking  for.  But  it  is  a  work  that  does  not 
suit  a  person,  that  all  his  life  has  been  accustomed  to  demand 
attention,  and  treat  with  scorn  the  knaves  that  are  recreant  to 
the  obligations  of  truth  and  justice. 

I  wrote  to  you  that  I  heartily  approve  of  your  employment  of 
slave  labour  in  the  instance  of  Hanway's  man,  and  am  glad  he 
cuts  his  wood  faithfully.     *     *     * 

Your  affectionate  Brother. 


James  Louis  Petigru  263 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Milledgeville,  December  27,  1847. 
My  dear  Jane: 

On  the  6th  of  November  I  arrived  here  and  returned  to 
Charleston  on  the  9th  inst.  and  came  back  on  the  15th,  and 
now  I  am  going  off  in  the  morning  with  the  bill  for  the  relief  of 
Peter  Trezevant  in  my  pocket.  Almost  against  hope  it  has  at  last 
passed.  It  passed  first  on  the  16th  instant  in  the  House  by  a 
vote  of  62  to  58.  Next  day  that  vote  was  set  aside  by  a  vote  of 
62  to  56,  and  on  the  following  day,  to  the  surprise  of  everybody, 
it  was  passed  again  by  the  same  vote  as  at  first — 62  to  58.  Two 
years  ago  it  was  lost  by  the  same  majority — 63  to  59.  We  were 
greatly  relieved  by  this,  but  in  a  short  time  our  fears  were  again 
alarmed  by  apprehensions  that  the  bill  would  be  lost  in  the 
Senate,  but  on  Thursday,  the  20th,  it  passed  the  Senate  by  28 
to  14.  An  attempt  next  day  to  set  aside  or  reconsider  this  vote 
failed  by  a  vote  of  31  to  11.  Our  fears  were  not  yet  allayed 
entirely,  for  now  there  was  a  rumor  that  the  Governor  would 
veto.  But  on  the  25th  he  approved  of  the  bill  and  put  the  matter 
to  rest.  This  bill  gives  Mr.  Trezevant  $22,222.22,  for  which 
bonds  of  the  State  are  to  be  issued.  By  this  event  I  am  relieved 
of  the  heaviest  burden  of  life.  Hamilton's  commission  and  mine 
on  the  amount  recovered  will  enable  me  to  pay  Mrs.  Harriet 
Porcher  the  money  which  I  unwittingly  made  myself  responsible 
for,  by  lending  it  to  him  without  security.  -It  will  also  refund 
me  mv  expenses,  which  have  been  very  heavy  and  altogether 
it  is  a  consummation  in  which  we  should  all  rejoice. 

The  weather  is  severe  at  present.  I  have  just  closed  my 
affairs  and  leave  in  the  morning  at  3  o'clock  for  home.  I  hope, 
my  dear,  you  are  better  and  everybody  well.  I  embrace  Mary 
and  the  girls,  and  am  most  devoutly  your  affectionate 

Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  December  29,  1847. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  arrived  to-day  at  1  o'clock  by  way  of  Savannah.  One  of 
the  last  things  I  did  at  Milledgeville  was  to  write  to  you  and  to 
the  Captain,  giving  you  an  account  of  my  long  warfare  and  nar- 
row escape.  After  finishing  these  and  other  letters  friends  came 
in,  who  had  just  left  the  State  House,  for  the  Legislature  sat 
till  1 1  o'clock.  They  carried  me  to  supper  and  we  did  not  sepa- 
rate till  2.  I  lay  down  in  my  clothes,  and  had  slept  upwards  of 
an  hour,  when  I  was  aroused  to  be  told  the  stage  had  come; 
down  I  went  in  bitter  cold  and  found  a  buggy,  nothing  more, 
and  in  the  bitter  cold  of  Tuesday  morning  rode  in  that  open 


264  l^ije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

conveyance  17  miles,  arriving  at  the  depot  on  the  Central  Road 
at  daylight.  The  exposure  gave  me  a  cold.  Otherwise  I  am 
very  well. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

January  5,  1848. 
I  hope  you  got  my  letter  from  Milledgeville,  giving  you  a 
detail  of  my  adventures  at  that  place.  It  appears  now  that  the 
dangers  were  greater  than  I  was  aware  of,  for  on  Wednesday, 
the  29th,  the  Governor  sent  back  to  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives the  bill  imposing  taxes,  with  a  message  saying  that  he  had 
signed  the  railroad  bill  and  Trezevant  bill  under  the  supposition 
that  they  would  provide  money  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  bonds, 
which  those  bills  direct  him  to  issue,  and  that  he  never  would 
have  signed  them  if  he  had  not  supposed  that  they  would  make 
an  adequate  provision  for  the  public  credit.  He  therefore 
vetoed  the  tax  bill,  and  they  passed  it  over  his  head  by  a  vote 
of  two-thirds,  and  authorized  him  to  borrow  $40,000  in  1848  in 
anticipation  of  the  revenue  of  1849. 


James  Louis  Petigru  265 


CHAPTER  XXX 

1848 

Disgusted  with  Taylor  Democratic  Clubs;  Stump  Speech 
IN  Abbeville  for  General  Taylor;  Bernard  Bee;  Dines 
with  Mr.  Calhoux;  Flask  and  Silver  Cup;  Stump  Speech 
FOR   Taylor   in   the    "Range" 

to  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

June  12,  1848. 
I  was  up  all  night  about  my  speech  for  to-morrow,  of  which 
not  a  line  was  ready  till  yesterday.  I  returned  after  4  in  broad 
daylight  this  morning  with  the  satisfaction  of  having  my  work 
in  such  a  shape  that  I  could  go  on  with  the  speech  as  it  is.  You 
will  not  expect  in  these  circumstances,  a  letter. 

In  the  autumn  ol  this  year  Taylor  ran  against  Cass  for  Presi- 
dent. Mr.  Calhoun  in  a  speech  delivered  at  the  old  Theater, 
on  Meeting  street  in  Charleston,  had  suggested  that  a  Southern 
Whig  might  be  better  than  a  Northern  Democrat,  and  Taylor 
Democratic  clubs  were  organized.  Speaking  of  these  Mr.  Peti- 
gru says: 

I  am  not  a  candidate.  They  have  sunk  the  Taylor  party 
here  into  a  mere  clique,  the  main  object  being  to  make  Porter 
Senator.     I  don't  know  that  we  will  even  vote  for  them. 

Again: 

The  election  is  in  the  greatest  confusion.  Of  the  thirty-nine 
candidates  before  the  people  nobody  knows  who  will  be  elected. 
I  am  so  disgusted  with  the  Taylor  Democrats  that  I  am  perfectly 
willing  to  see  them  routed.  I'll  do  nothing  against  them,  but 
certainly  will  not  help  them.  I  told  John  Cunningham  I  did  not 
believe  they  would  stand  at  Columbia,  that  they  wanted  to 
give  in  as  soon  as  they  found  they  were  in  the  minority.  But  he 
assures  me  that  if  any  man  attempts  to  bolt  he  will  serve  him 
like  a  deserter. 


266  ^-(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


ORATION. 

delivered  before  the 
Charleston  Library  Society 

AT  ITS 

First  Centennial  Anniversary 

June  13th,  1848. 

By  James  L.  Petigru,  LL.  D. 

a  member  of  the  society 


CHARLESTON,   S.   C. 

J.  B.  MixoN,  Printer,  No.  48  Broad  Street 

1848. 

This  goodly  presence  of  the  intelligence,  beauty  and  numbers 
of  the  City,  shows  that  good  actions,  falling  within  the  routine  of 
daily  life,'may,  by  their  effects,  be  invested  with  a  high  degree 
of  public  interest.  We  have  assembled,  not  to  celebrate  an 
anniversary  known  to  history,  but  the  foundation  of  the  Charles- 
ton Library  Society;  an  association  that  owes  its  origin  to  the 
plain  citizens  of  a  small  town,  and  has,  for  its  object,  the  collec- 
tion of  good  books,  and  the  encouragement  of  a  taste  for  read- 
ing. No  shout  of  victory  hails  the  progress  of  these  quiet  bene- 
factors of  Provincial  Society.  No  trophies  attest  the  success  of 
their  labors,  or  the  gratitude  of  their  country.  They  gained  no 
glory  by  the  destruction  of  mankind,  and  their  arms  were  di- 
rected against  no  enemy  but  Ignorance.  On  the  13th  June, 
1748,  Alexander  McCauley,  Patrick  McKie,  William  Logan, 
James  Giindlay,  Merton  Branford,  Joseph  Wragg,  Jr.,  Samuel 
Wragg,  Jr.,  Robert  Brisbane,  Paul  Douxsaint,  Alexander  Baron, 
John  Sinclair,  John  Cooper,  Peter  Timothy,  Williams  Bur- 
rows, Charles  Stevenson,  John  Neufville,  Jr.,  Thomas  Sa- 
cheverel,  Samuel  Brailsford,  and  Thomas  Middleton,  sub- 
scribed the  roll,  as  the  original  members  of  the  Society;  and  now, 
at  the  distance  of  a  century,  we  give  thanks  for  the  good  which 
they  have  done,  and  offer  our  congratulations  on  the  benign 
favor  of  Providence,  which  has  given  their  work  stability,  and 
allowed  us  to  partake  of  the  fruit  of  their  labors. 

It  is  but  just  that  we  should  remember  them  whose  generous 
care  was  extended  to  posterity.  They  planted  the  tree  which 
invites  our  noon-day  steps  from  the  cares  of  business,  to  its  cool, 
refreshing  shade.  Gratitude  demands  the  tribute  at  our  hands; 
nor  let  self-conceit  or  vanity  contemn,  too  easily,  the  value  of 
such  praise  as  belongs  to  the  Founders  of  our  Society.  To  such 
men,  the  world  is  indebted  for  much  of  its  knowledge,  and  nearly 
all  the  material  elements  of  comfort  and  happiness.  It  is  not 
to  extraordinary  services,  or  to  great  occasions,  that  the  sum  of 


James  Louis  Petigru  261 

human  happiness  belongs.  Although  we  are  dazzled  by  the 
style  and  equipage  of  the  rich,  the  mass  of  national  wealth  is 
really  in  the  hands  of  those  who  have  but  little.  The  treasury 
of  the  State  would  be  but  poorly  supplied  by  the  cfjntributions  of 
the  opulent,  if  no  assessments  were  laid  on  men  of  moderate 
means.  And,  however  brilliant  the  path  of  ambition  may  be, 
with  whatever  honors  the  brow  of  genius  may  be  crowned, 
society,  after  all,  is  mainly  indebted  for  refinement  in  manners, 
and  improvement  in  circumstances,  to  the  modest  and  unpre- 
tending merit  of  those  whose  virtues  are  confined  to  the  sphere 
of  private  life.  Cireat  abilities,  even  when  best  directed,  avail 
but  little,  unless  seconded  by  the  general  sense  of  the  community. 
The  honors  of  State,  and  the  fame  of  learning,  are  bestowed  on 
few;  but  the  success  of  those  who  attain  such  envied  distinction, 
in  doing  good  to  mankind,  by  correcting  prejudice,  or  elevating 
the  standard  of  public  morals,  depends  on  the  co-operation  of 
obscure  and  faithful  agents.  No  age  has  been  without  its  heroes; 
those  who  would  have  saved  their  country,  if  it  had  been  possible, 
or  rescued  their  fellow-men  from  guilt  or  ruin,  if  they  had  been 
permitted. 

Si  Pergamma  dextra 
Defendi  possent,  etiam  hac  defensa  fuissent. 

But  when  the  public  mind  is  engrossed  by  sluggish  indifference, 
or  selfish  cupidity,  vain  is  the  warning  voice,  and  impotent  the 
valiant  arm. 

As  in  the  order  of  nature,  whatever  bears  the  name  of  fruit, 
grows  and  is  developed  from  the  ground;  so  in  the  order  of 
society,  whatever  is  perfected  in  the  form  of  a  state,  or  commun- 
ity, grows  and  is  developed  out  of  the  family.  The  virtues  of 
the  family  lay  the  foundation  for  all  the  energies  of  the  state; 
and  according  to  the  discipline  and  training  of  the  family;  such 
is  the  condition  of  the  Body  Politic.  All  real  improvement, 
therefore,  must  commence  in  private  life,  and  those  who  culti- 
vate the  moral  sentiments  of  individuals,  and  within  the  sphere 
of  their  influence,  promote  humanity  and  the  love  of  order  and 
industry  are  benefactors  of  their  country,  as  well  as  of  the 
particular  society  to  which  their  labors  are  confined.  Their 
merit  is  greater  than  their  reward.  They  are  more  deserving 
in  the  eyes  of  God  than  of  man;  and  among  men  are  honored 
most  by  those,  whose  judgment  is  the  most  enlightened.  It  is 
not,  therefore,  without  cause,  that  we  commemorate  the  names 
of  those  who  have  laid  the  foundation  of  a  public  Library.  Of 
all  the  instruments  of  man's  invention,  for  the  improvement 
of  his  strength,  and  the  development  of  his  skill,  books  are  the 
greatest.  They  are  not  merely  an  auxiliary  of  civilization,  but 
civilization  lives  in  them.  They  are  the  inheritance  of  the  Earth. 
All  that  is  contained  on  the  surface  of  the  globe,  all  the  structures 


268  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  have  been  raised  into  the  air,  and  all  the  wealth  that  has 
been  dug  out  of  the  ground,  are  to  the  world,  collectively,  of  far 
less  value,  than  the  books  which  have  been  written.  Without 
letters,  there  would  be  an  impassable  gulf  between  the  past  and 
the  present;  and  each  generation,  uninformed  by  experience, 
would  be  born  into  a  world  unknown;  like  aliens,  wandering  in  a 
land  where  a  permanent  settlement  is  denied,  and  the  acquisi- 
tions made  by  the  dead,  are  resumed  by  a  higher  power.  But 
books  preserve  the  succession.  By  books,  the  present  age  enjoys 
the  intercourse  of  the  past,  and  will  live  in  the  learning  of  the 
future.  Those  who  established  this  Library,  therefore,  pro- 
moted the  interests  of  the  community  in  the  highest  and  noblest 
sense;  and  the  honor  done  to  their  memory,  is  a  tribute  paid  to 
virtue. 

Among  those  whom  the  Society  has  since  enrolled  as  members, 
are  many  names  distinguished  in  the  State.  But  particular 
notice  appears  to  be  due  to  Thomas  Bee;  of  whom  it  is  men- 
tioned, that  he  was  mainly  instrumental  in  procuring  the  Charter 
of  the  Society  in  1755.  This  was  an  indulgence  seldom  granted  by 
the  representatives  of  the  Crown,  and  the  measure  was  attended, 
at  that  time,  with  no  Httle  difficulty.  In  him  urbanity  and 
the  love  of  letters  tempered  the  severity  of  legal  studies.  His 
life  was  protracted  to  old  age,  and  spent  in  the  bosorn  of  his 
native  city,  where  he  was  esteemed  and  honored,  and  his  home 
was  the  seat  of  hospitality.  He  had  served  the  state  in  many 
situations  of  public  trust,  and  was  the  first  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Admiralty,  in  this  place,  under  the  authority  of  the  United 
States.  His  reports,  published  in  1810,  confirm  the  reputation 
which  he  enjoyed  in  his  life,  of  an  able  and  upright  judge.  Nor 
can  I  pass,  unheeded  or  unhonored,  the  name  of  Stephen  Elliott; 
to  whom  we  arc  indebted  for  a  catalogue,  such  as  none  but  a 
scholar  could  compile,  and  a  memoir  of  the  Society,  of  which  he 
was  President  for  ten  years.  He  was  a  scholar  of  profound  and 
various  learning;  and  a  man,  endued  with  such  beneficence  of 
nature,  and  kindly  dispositions,  that  admiration  of  his  genius 
was  subordinate  to  the  feelings  of  affection  and  attachment, 
which  his  virtues  excited. 

The  Society  consisted  at  first  of  nineteen  members,  among 
whom  we  recognize  some  familiar  names,  and  we  hope  that  the 
list  will  be  perused  with  honest  pride,  by  their  descendants,  at 
the  end  of  another  century.  But  many  of  them  are  no  longer 
found  on  the  census  of  our  City.  Their  absence  reminds  us  of 
the  changes  which  an  hundred  years  have  wrought,  and  it  is  not 
uninstructive  to  consider  the  difference  between  the  condition  of 
things  at  the  present  day,  and  at  the  commencement  of  the 
century,  which  has  elapsed  since  this  Society  came  into  exist- 
ence. Like  the  traveller,  who  climbs  some  hill,  to  gain  the  view 
of  a  distant  scene,  let  us,  from  the  standpoint  of  1748,  survey  the 


James  Louis  Petigru  269 

prospect  which  the  face  of  Society  in  Europe  and  America,  then 
presented.  The  treaty  ot  Aix  la  Chapelle,  which  was  concluded 
in  March,  1748,  had  just  put  an  end  to  the  long  and  bloody  war 
of  the  Austrian  succession.  By  the  peace  then  concluded,  the 
house  of  Lorraine  was  seated  on  the  throne  of  Germany;  and  the 
restoration  of  the  Stuarts  to  that  of  Great  Britain,  was  finally 
abandoned.  This  war,  which  had  been  kindled  by  the  opposing 
pretensions  of  the  Queen  of  Hungary  and  the  Elector  of  Bavaria, 
to  the  Imperial  throne,  had  extended  to  other  parties,  and  been 
inflamed  by  new  causes  of  dispute.  But  the  conflagration  which 
set  the  South  of  Europe  in  a  blaze,  was  excited  by  a  contest  of 
England  with  Spain,  for  the  benefit  of  the  slave-trade.  The 
attempt  of  the  Spaniards  to  restrict  the  monopoly  which  the 
English  had  enjoyed,  of  importing  African  slaves  into  Porto 
Bello,  on  the  Spanish  Main,  was  resented  by  an  appeal  to  arms, 
which  covered  the  soil  of  Europe  with  a  million  of  fighting  men. 
Europe  was  shaken  to  its  centre,  and  the  concussion  extended  to 
every  part  of  the  globe.  The  House  of  Bourbon  stood  single- 
handed  against  an  European  alliance.  The  allies  sought  for 
aid,  even  from  the  distant  Russians;  and  the  march  of  savage 
hordes  from  the  banks  of  the  Volga  and  the  Don,  for  the  first 
time  threatened  the  sunny  fields  of  France. 

With  grim  delight  the  brood  of  winter  view, 
Serener  skies,  and  fields  of  brighter  hue. 

Exhale  the  fragrance  of  the  opening  rose. 
And  quaflf  the  pendent  nectar  as  it  grows. 

Then  was  seen  the  consummate  policy  and  vast  military  genius 
of  Frederick  II.  Unscrupulous  and  enterprising;  annexing  to 
his  dominions  provinces  wrung  from  reluctant  weakness,  by 
the  hand  of  conquest;  and  turning  every  incident  of  fortune  to 
the  profit  of  his  own  ambition.  Then  was  waged  on  the  soil  of 
Flanders,  the  game  of  war,  upon  its  mightiest  scale,  by  the  vic- 
torious Marshal  Saxe.  To  this  period  belong  the  victories  of 
Hawke  and  Vernon;  the  marvellous  voyage  of  Anson,  and  the 
memorable  fields  of  Dottingen  and  Fontenay;  where  the  cruelty 
of  mutual  slaughter  was  strangely  relieved  by  acts  of  politeness 
and  courtesy.  And  in  those  days  the  romantic  adventures  of 
Charles  Edward  and  the  deplorable  fate  of  his  devoted  follow- 
ers enlisted  the  sympathies,  if  not  the  approbation,  of  mankind. 
The  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle  staunched  the  bleeding  wounds 
of  Europe;  and  like  rivers  which  have  overflowed  their  banks, 
carrying  devastation  among  the  homes  of  the  afl^righted  inhabi- 
tants, the  nations  returned  to  their  accustomed  limits.  All 
but  the  indomitable  Prussian  who  retained  Silesia  in  his  iron 
grasp;  a  conquest,  extorted  in  the  day  of  misfortune,  from  the 
Empress  Queen.     And  for  what  purpose  had  so  many  lives  been 


270  -^i/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

sacrificed?  For  the  pretensions  of  two  rival  candidates,  to  rule 
over  the  German  people,  as  if  they  were  the  property  of  a  master, 
like  flocks  and  herds.  And  for  an  ignoble  traffic,  which  the  vic- 
torious party  is  now  foremost  to  hold  up  to  the  scorn  and  exe- 
cration ot  mankind. 

But  personal  ambition  was  veiled  under  the  semblance  of  a 
general  principle;  and  the  horrors  of  war  were  justified  by  a  real 
or  pretended  care  for  the  independence  of  sovereign  states,  and 
the  preservation  of  the  balance  of  power.  But  the  events  of 
a  century  have  shown  how  vain  were  the  schemes  for  which 
such  sacrifices  were  exacted.  In  1748  the  Bourbons  reigned  in 
France,  in  Spain,  in  the  two  Sicilies,  and  the  Duchies  of  Parma 
and  Gustalla.  The  French  flag  waved  in  Canada,  and  the  King 
of  Spain  stretched  his  sceptre  from  the  river  St.  Mary  to  Pata- 
gonia. The  confines  of  Germany  obeyed  an  empress,  and  Bel- 
gium was  a  province;  Sweden  had  not  been  despoiled  of  Finland 
by  the  audacious  hand  of  Russia;  the  union  of  Denmark  and 
Norway  was  undisturbed;  Poland  rejoiced  in  her  independence, 
nor  was  yet  the  victim  of  the  foulest  deed  which  stains  the  annals 
of  modern  times. 

On  the  eastern  side  of  North  America  thirteen  colonies  owned 
the  British  sway;  and  James  Glen  exercised  executive  authority 
in  the  name  of  George  II  in  South  Carolina.  His  civil  juris- 
diction was,  in  fact,  confined  to  a  narrow  strip  of  territory  on 
the  seaboard,  reaching  from  the  Waccamaw  to  the  Savannah. 
Beyond  Nelson's  ferry  lay  the  primeval  forest,  stretching  across 
the  continent,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Charles  Town  was  a  rival 
of  New  York  in  population  and  commercial  importance;  but 
Queen  Street  was  the  northern  boundary,  and  the  city  scarcely 
extended  beyond  King  Street  on  the  west. 

The  colonies  exhibited  great  diversities  in  their  forms,  but 
the  essential  characteristics  were  nearly  the  same  in  all.  Their 
life  was  obscure,  they  were  occupied  in  laying  the  foundations 
of  society,  in  overcoming  the  obstructions  of  the  swamp  and 
forest,  in  pursuing  wherever  the  hope  of  gain  might  lead  their 
traffic  upon  the  sea,  and  in  subduing  the  wilderness  to  the  do- 
minion of  the  plough.  Great  was  the  contrast  between  them 
and  the  Spanish  colonies.  Here,  rustic,  or  at  least,  industrious 
life,  frugality  and  severity  of  manners.  There,  precocious  es- 
tablishments, spoil,  and  the  pride  of  domination.  The  wonders  of 
Mexico  and  Peru  dazzled  the  imagination,  but  the  homely 
farms  and  every-day  appearance  of  the  small  towns  in  North 
America,  had  no  charms  for  the  lovers  of  romance.  For  their 
literature  they  looked  exclusively  to  the  emanations  of  European 
genius.  Jonathan  Edwards  was  known  only  by  his  devotion 
to  the  duties  of  a  pastor  in  the  village  of  Northampton,  and  it 
was  not  until  he  published  his  Origin  of  Evil  in  1754,  that  he  was 
discovered    to    be    a   profound    metaphysician.     Nor   had    the 


'James  Louis  Petigru  271 

genius  of  Franklin  yet  emerged  from  obscurity.  It  was  four 
years  later  in  1752  that  by  his  discoveries  in  electricity,  he 
advanced  the  boundaries  of  knowledge  and  gained  the  first  rank 
among  the  philosophers  of  the  age. 

That  age  was  not  conspicuous  for  its  literature.  Men  spoke 
of  the  time  which  the  old  still  remembered,  as  the  Augustan 
Age  of  Louis  XIV.  Yet  Voltaire  sustained  the  reputation  of 
his  country  by  the  universality,  if  not  the  depth,  of  his  genius, 
and  in  this  very  year  Montesquieu  presented  to  the  world  his 
unrivalled  work  on  the  Spirit  of  the  Laws.  In  England  no  great 
poet  had  appeared  since  the  succession  of  the  House  of  Hanover. 
The  tuneful  voice  of  Pope  was  hushed,  and  he  had  left  no  suc- 
cessor. Johnson  was  working  his  toilsome  way  to  the  first  place 
amongst  the  writers  of  his  country,  against  all  the  discourage- 
ments to  which  men  of  genius  were  exposed,  till  literature  was 
made  popular,  and  the  people  took  them  under  their  patronage. 
His  London  had  already  been  published;  and  though  depressed 
by  neglect,  he  had  given  evidence  of  the  ability  that  after- 
wards raised  him  to  the  highest  rank,  as  a  critic  of  singular 
acumen,  a  profound  teacher  of  moral  wisdom,  and  the  first  of 
lexicographers. 

None  of  the  great  English  Historians  had  yet  appeared;  and 
it  was  still  literally  true,  that  the  best  history  of  England  was 
written  by  a  Frenchman.  It  was  from  Rapin  that  the  English 
youth  continued  to  draw  their  information  of  the  annals  of  their 
country,  until  the  advent,  at  a  later  period,  of  Hume  and  Robert- 
son. But  in  Eloquence,  the  age  was  illustrated  by  the  genius 
of  Chatham,  who  was  now  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  culminating 
to  the  meridian  of  his  fame.  Yet,  how  strange  does  it  appear 
that  in  a  nation,  studious  of  the  models  of  antiquity,  and  cher- 
ishing an  admiration  for  eloquence  and  oratory,  there  should  be 
no  speech  of  Bolingbroke  on  record;  and  that  the  oratory  of 
Chatham  which  swayed  the  destinies  of  England,  during  a  bril- 
liant period,  is  known  only  by  tradition,  sustained  by  meagre 
and  unsatisfactory  specimens!  Nay,  more,  that  in  1748,  it 
was  deemed  a  high  breach  of  privilege  to  publish  a  speech  made 
in  Parliament.  This  absurd  interdict  of  the  publishing  of  pub- 
lic speeches  was,  in  those  days,  practically  enforced;  and  the 
orders  of  the  two  Houses  were  evaded  by  publications,  which 
were  ushered  into  the  world  as  Debated  in  the  Parliament  of 
Lilliput.  It  was  not  until  1774,  that  this  mummery  was  laid 
aside.  But  the  rule  has  never  been  in  form  repealed,  though  the 
utmost  latitude  of  publishing  now  prevails;  being  one  of  the 
victories  gained  by  the  reason  of  the  age,  over  inveterate  error 
and  a  blind  attachment  to  exploded  usage.  Perhaps  in  another 
age,  inconsistencies  as  gross,  may  be  cietected  in  our  way  of 
thinking,  and  something  now  tolerated  by  the  public,  may  appear 
equally  irrational  a  century  hence,  in  the  eyes  of  Posterity. 


272  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

In  another  branch  of  knowledge,  and  one  most  important  to 
the  general  welfare,  there  was  no  declension.  This  was  the 
Golden  Age  of  the  Law.  The  British  Themis  never  received 
more  unbounded  homage,  than  when  Hardwicke  presided  in  the 
Court  of  Chancery.  Then  was  given  to  public  admiration  the 
example  of  a  Judge,  eminent  for  wisdom  and  learning,  command- 
ing by  his  reason,  and  indefatigable  in  the  despatch  of  business. 
If  Justice  be  the  queen  of  virtues,  in  what  combination  shall  true 
greatness  be  more  convincing  than  in  the  character  of  a  magis- 
trate, whose  comprehensive  mind  embraces  all  the  knowledge 
of  the  subject;  whose  reason  is  proof  against  the  fallacies  of  error, 
and  whose  integrity  clothes  his  judgment  with  the  approving 
sanction  of  conscience.  He  was  in  the  flower  of  his  age  in  1748, 
and  held  the  Seals  eight  years  longer,  when  he  retired  from  the 
bench,  without  a  blot  on  his  judicial  character. 

From  this  imperfect  sketch  of  the  state  of  things  at  the  period 
when  the  foundation  of  the  Charleston  Library  was  laid,  we 
would  naturally  pass  in  review  the  changes  which  have  been 
operated  by  the  lapse  of  a  hundred  years.  But  to  the  volumes 
of  that  Library,  we  must  refer  for  the  requisite  information. 
There  you  may  follow  the  stream  of  history  from  1748,  to  the 
present  day,  and  note  the  progress  which  has  been  made  in 
learning,  the  discoveries  that  have  been  added  to  the  stock  of 
knowledge,  and  the  alterations  which  have  taken  place  in  the 
circumstances  of  the  world.  But  this  is  a  task  for  years  of  study, 
and  not  within  the  scope  of  this  occasion,  not  the  abilities  of  the 
speaker.  Suffice  it  to  know  that  it  has  been  an  age  of  progress; 
and  that,  instead  of  the  calm  that  in  1748  succeeded  the  peace 
of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  and  vainly  promised  stability  to  thrones, 
and  long  years  of  repose  to  the  people,  the  times  are  still  ominous 
of  change,  and  the  year  1848  opens  with  a  lowering  sky.  But 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  direction  which  has  been 
given  to  the  human  mind,  and  which  probably  will  lead  to  great 
events  before  the  centennial  anniversary  of  this  Society  is  cele- 
brated again,  will  not  be  unfavorable  to  the  diffusion  of  knowl- 
edge. In  that  persuasion,  we  may  hope  that  humanity  will  be  a 
gainer,  by  the  impending  changes.  For  it  is  the  well  known 
effect  of  learning,  that  it  banishes  ferocity,  and  prepares  the  mind 
for  impressions  favorable  to  innocent  and  harmless  enjoyment. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  political  horizon  to  excite  our  fears  for 
the  permanence  of  this  Society.  It  is  connected  with  no  party, 
and  possesses  no  peculiar  privileges.  It  is  maintained  entirely 
by  the  contributions  of  its  members;  levies  no  tax  upon  strangers, 
and  interferes  with  no  rival.  The  Library  being  the  offspring 
of  a  popular  association,  is  calculated  to  be  useful  to  men  of 
business,  and  general  readers,  without  challenging  a  comparison 
with  those  great  establishments,  that  have  been  endowed  by  the 
munificence  of  States  or  Princes.     We  have  never  partaken  of 


James  Louis  Petigru  273 

the  public  money,  and  Mr.  Benjamin  Smith,  who,  in  1770, 
bequeathed  to  the  Library,  six  hundred  dollars,  figures  as  our 
only  Macaenas.  Its  collection  of  twenty-five  thousand  volumes, 
though  considerable,  if  compared  with  the  contents  of  its  shelves 
sixty  years  ago,  when  three  or  four  hundred  volumes  formed  the 
whole  of  its  supply,  is  sufficient  to  place  within  the  reach  ot  its 
members,  a  variety  of  entertaining  and  instructive  reading.  If 
it  has  tended  to  elevate  the  taste  of  the  city,  and  to  diffuse  the 
elements  of  useful  knowledge,  the  hope  of  its  founders  has  been 
realized.  We  may  reflect  with  pleasure  upon  the  evidences  of 
its  claim  to  public  favor  and  consideration,  upon  these  grounds. 
The  charms  of  Literature  have  been  celebrated  by  Cicero,  in 
strains  that  are  themselves  a  treasure,  which  neither  time,  nor 
change,  nor  loss  of  friends,  nor  even  failing  health,  can  destroy. 
But  even  his  eloquence  does  not  transcend  the  attractions  which 
Literature  confers  on  the  intercourse  of  life.  The  love  of  read- 
ing is,  by  itself,  better  than  a  fortune,  and  the  public  library  does 
incalculable  good,  by  cultivating  that  taste.  The  increasing 
demand  for  the  recreation  of  mental  pleasures,  will,  in  turn, 
enrich  the  library  with  greater  stores  of  reading,  and  render  it 
more  and  more  worthy  of  the  pride  of  the  city.  With  hopes 
founded  on  such  assurances,  we  look  forward  to  the  next  Cen- 
tennial Anniversary.  May  our  beloved  city  then  be  hailed  as 
the  Commercial  Emporium  of  the  South,  and  the  Charleston 
Library  rank  among  its  flourishing  institutions. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU  KING 

Badwell,  29  August,  1848. 
My  dear  Sue: 

It  rained  in  Augusta  from  8  till  one  o'clock;  then  the  Captain's 
buggy  was  put  in  requisition.  As  much  of  the  baggage  as  it 
would  hold  was  stowed  into  the  Break;  the  Break  went  ahead 
with  the  blacksmith  driving,  three  negroes  following  on  foot 
and  the  Captain's  buggy  with  one  horse  came,  after  the  rain  was 
over,  in  the  rear.  We  had  only  to  wait  an  hour  at  Dents  Creek, 
the  place  where  Ma  and  I  in  1824  were  stayed,  by  the  refusal  of 
our  horse  to  proceed  in  harness.  It  was  only  a  temporary  flood; 
at  the  end  of  an  hour  the  brook  had  fallen  so  much,  much  assisted 
by  the  Post-rider's  horse  and  two  of  the  neighbors,  that  had  met 
there,  who  carried  the  womenkind  over  on  horseback;  with  the 
nigs  two  on  a  horse,  the  Capt.  and  I  having  each  a  horse  to  him- 
self. We  went  only  16  miles  that  day.  Two  in  a  buggy  is  a 
very  nice  way  of  travelling;  when  parched  by  thirst  we  had  to 
separate,  one  holding  the  horse  while  the  other  went  to  drink. 
It  was  4  very  near,  when  we  arrived  here;  they  were  looking  for 
us  not  very  confidently.     *     *     * 

Adieu. 

Your  Father. 


274  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU  KING 

Badwell,  11th  September,  1848. 
My  dear  Sue: 

Your  letter  of  the  2d  inst.  was  received  last  Friday  (8th)  and 
this  is  the  first  mail  since.     I  am  delighted  to  hear  that  Ma  has 
been  able  to  come  to  dinner  every  day  but  Sunday;  for  your 
letter  was  a  whole  week  after  my  departure.     Would  you  guess 
where  I  have  been?     To  Pendleton;  on  business  to  Mrs.  Martha 
Calhoun.     I  left  this  place  Monday  the  4th,  went  to  Abbeville 
and  was  pressed  for  an  orator.     The  Ordinary,  with  whorn  I  had 
something  to  do,  called  me  off  from  the  Will  I  was  reading,  to 
close  his  office,  because  Mr.  Burt  was  going  to  address  his  con- 
stituents.    I   listened   to  him   a  long   time   and   he  concluded 
heavily  against  Gen.  Taylor,  and  then  they  raised  a  cry  "James 
L.  Petigru,  Petigru,  Petigru,"  till  I  was  forced  to  ascend  the 
rostrum,  and  make  a  Taylor  speech  with  a  good  deal  of  accepta- 
tion.    Burt  answered,  and  I  was  called  again  and  replied  good- 
humoredly,and  it  being  nownear  5  o'clock,  we  adjourned  to  Judge 
Wardlaw's,  where  I  dined  and  slept  till  midnight,  when  the  stage 
came  along  and  I  got  into  it.     Next  morning  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  the  thriving  town  of  Anderson,  which  has  been  built 
since  I  was  in  that  country,  and  at  12  was  set  down  at  Old 
Pendleton.     The  first  person  I  saw  was  Mr.  Bernard  Bee,  who 
took  possession  of  me  and  carried  me  to  his  house.     After  dinner 
I  moved  to  go  back  to  the  tavern  and  he  accompany  me,  but  on 
inquiring  for  a  conveyance  to  Mrs.  Calhoun's,  he  told  me  he  was 
going  with  me  in  his  buggy.     We  got  there  before  sunset.     The 
next  day  we  concluded  our  business,  and  I  found  he  had  engaged 
me  to  dine  with  Mr.  Calhoun,  the  great  Carolinian.     There  was 
nothing  to  do  but  obey,  so  I  went  and  dined  and  heard  Mr.  C. 
talk,  tho'  I  fear  I  did  not  give  him  as  much  of  the  conversation 
as  he  would  have  been  pleased  with;  that  is  all.     After  dinner  we 
resumed  our  buggy  and  when  we  got  to  the  village,  I  told  him  I 
would  leave  him  as  I  was  going  to  Mrs.  North's.     "Oh,"  said 
he,  "I  am  going  with  you, '^ and  he  did,  spent  an  hour,  returned 
to  his  house  and  staid  there.     Next  morning  he  would  not  let  me 
go  without  a  basket  and  flask.     He  could  not  be  persuaded  that 
I  never  wanted  such  a  thing,  as  I  never  carried  any  with  me,  and 
I  submitted.     But  when  he  produced  a  silver  cup,  I  said,  "Bee, 
you  don't  suppose  I  am  going  to  take  thatcup. "  "Itisnecessary," 
said  he,  "  no  way  to  avoid  it  and  the  driver  will  bring  it  back  from 
Abbeville,"     Like  the  strong  man  well  armed,  when  a  stronger 
man  cometh,  I  gave  in.     That  same  evening  I  reached  Abbeville, 
staid  at  the  Judge's  and  on  Friday  morning  started  with  him, 
Lucy,  Rosa  and  Lucia  for  Badwell.     They  stayed  till  this  morn- 
ing.    This  is  the  whole  of  my  history,  except  another  Taylor 
speech  in  the  Range,  where  the  Captain  carried  me  to  hear  a 


James  Louis  Petigru  21 S 

speech  of  Charles  Pelot,  and  where  I  was  obliged  to  mount  the 
wagon,*  which  is  rhc  rostrum  here,  and  hold  forth  on  the  merits 
of  Gen.  Taylor.  This  district  goes  for  Cass  for  want  of  organ- 
ization. They  have  not  a  Taylor  candidate  in  the  field.  Aunt 
Jane  is  well  and  Cary  is  well  and  everybody  is  well  except  Judge 
Wardlaw,  who  was  sick  all  the  time  he  was  here.  I  will  set  off 
on  Saturday  and  be  in  Charleston  on  Monday.  Love  to  Mama 
and  thank  Henry  for  the  papers  he  forwarded.     Adieu. 

Your  Father. 

Under  date  of  December  14,  1848,  he  writes  to  Captain 
Thomas  Petigru:  *  *  *  "The  gold  speculation  in  California  will 
beat  all  the  speculations  of  the  age.  It  is  a  page  of  romance. 
If  I  was  young  I  would  have  a  share  in  the  show. 

"Seabrook's  election  seems  to  be  the  winding  up  of  the  Nulli- 
fication drama.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Carolina  Chivalry  has 
now  paid  its  debts." 

TO  MRS,  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Broad  Street,  December  22,  1848. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  received  last  night  your  letter  and  the  Cap's,  and  I  suppose 
the  purchase  of  the  old  fields  is  by  this  time  settled.  Well  it  is 
what  I  have  long  desired.  The  two,  nay  three,  great  objects  of 
my  thoughts  were  to  pay  Mrs.  Porcher,  to  build  a  good  office  in 
the  allev  and  get  Collier's  place.  For  these  purposes  I  have 
?11,(X)0,'  but  Mrs.  Porcher  takes  $6,000,  the  office  $4,000,  and 
Collier's  $2,000,  which  is  one  thousand  dollars  more  than  the 
fund,  and  my  affairs  are  not  otherwise  so  bright  as  I  could  wish. 
But  we  will  do  what  was  proposed;  all  three  of  these  objects  will 
be  accomplished,  and  great  caution  and  redoubled  exertions  will 
enable  me,  I  hope,  to  pay  the  rest  of  my  debts.  And  tho'  the 
old  place  will  pay  no  rent,  yet  it  will  secure,  I  hope,  sufficiency 
of  corn  and  grass  to  make  Badwell  something  of  a  home;  the  old 
place  will  pay  no  rent  yet  it  will  make  my  condition  more  com- 
fortable, and  invigorate,  I  hope,  my  exertions. 


*' 


The  "Range"  is  the  southwestern  corner  of  Abbeville  County,  aJjoining 
Edgefield;  the  inhabitants  were  small  farmers  called  "Rangers";  the  most  suc- 
cessful industry  was  a  still,  that  produced  whiskey  and  peach  brandy.  On  this 
occasion  Petigru  delighted  his  audience  by  taking  off  his  coat,  rolling  up  his 
sleeves, saying,  "  Vou  all  know  I  am  a  Ranger,  too,"  and  continued  to  speak  with 
the  greatest  wit  and  humor.  This  celebrated  speech  was  for  years  with  pleasure 
remembered  by  the  Rangers. 


276  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

1849 

James  Johnston  Pettigrew  Arrived;  The  New  Cabinet; 
Keeping  the  Peace;  Retirement  of  Mr.  Lesesne  from 
THE  Firm 

to  MRS.  jane  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  February  7,  1849. 

My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  never  was  more  harassed  than  I  have  been  this 
month.  I  had  to  argue  some  very  heavy  causes  and  to  attend 
to  a  great  deal  of  new  business.  Until  the  Courts  adjourned  on 
Wednesday,  31st  ult.,  I  had  no  rest  nor  leisure.  The  Court  of 
Equity  is  sitting  now,  but  I  am  much  less  harassed  now  than  I 

was. 

On  28th  January  Hamlet*  disappeared,  and  has  not  been  since 
heard  of.  It  is  a  very  discouraging  thing,  and  I  would  heartily 
agree  never  to  see  a  negro  again.  He  had  fallen  into  great 
depravity  and  I  am  sorry  to  say  had  gone  so  far  as  to  commit 
palpable  thefts — taking  money  out  of  my  purse  and,  at  last, 
taking  the  purse  itself.  *  *  *  Though  I  had  not  had  him 
corrected,  I  intended  to  do  so — and  he  anticipated  my  judgment 
by  expatriating  himself.  *  *  *  James  Johnston  Pettigrew 
arrived  on  Friday,  2d  instant.  Our  house  is  full  and  he  stays  at 
his  hotel,  but  is  often  with  us.  All  you  have  heard  of  him  is 
below  his  merits.  Should  his  health  be  spared  he  will  be  one  of 
the  most  considerable  men  of  his  age.  His  turn,  however,  is 
chiefly  to  science,  but  if  he  pursues  his  legal  studies  he  will  easily 
take  rank  with  the  greatest  lawyers  in  America.  Withal  he  is  a 
youth  of  charming  simplicity,  and  has  gained  the  hearts  not  only 
of  sister,  but  of  Caroline,  who  was  very  improperly  bent  on  .dis- 
liking him.     *     *     * 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU   NORTH 

March  13,  1849. 
On  Saturday  Mr.  Crawford,  the  Secretary,  passed  through 
here.     I  intended  to  meet  him  at  the  railroad,  in  which  I  was 

*Hamlet,  under  the  training  of  "Daddy"  Lunnon,  became  an  expert  cook;  as 
he  did  not  like  this  occupation  he  obtained  permission  to  become  a  carpenter, 
at  which  trade  he  successfully  worked.  After  a  time  he  became  a  preacher  and 
a  leader  among  his  people. 


James  Louis  Petigru  111 

disappointed,  but  found  him  at  the  Pavilion,  and  carried  him 
home,  where  he  partook  of  a  beefsteak,  and  we  (the  Captain  and 
I)  then  saw  him  to  the  boat.  On  the  way  back  the  carriage 
broke  down.  Very  fortunate  for  our  credit  that  it  did  not  occur 
while  the  Secretary  was  in  it.  *  *  *  Mr.  Polk  has  been  here, 
as  the  papers  have  told  you.  I  called  on  Mr.  Polk,  but  did  not 
go  to  his  dinner,  which  was,  on  the  whole,  rather  a  slim  thing. 
Not  but  that  there  was  company  enough,  but  the  speeches  were 
all  very  flat  and  in  extreme  bad  taste.  Mr.  Burt  passed  through 
without  stopping,  and  Judge  Butler  has  not  yet  showed  him- 
self. Everybody  seems  to  be  pleased  with  the  new  Cabinet, 
and  the  more  because  it  is  very  new,  no  old  stagers  in  it.  I 
want  to  get  a  place  for  little  Phil  in  the  navy,  and  one  in  the  rev- 
enue for  William  Ross,  and  it  will  be  hard  if  I  do  not  succeed. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

May  23,  1849. 

*  *  *  My  dear  child,  I  am  writing  in  great  pain.  A 
severe  rheumatism  has  tor  days  disabled  my  right  hand.  This 
is  the  first  time  since  Friday  last  that  I  have  attempted  to  put 
pen  to  paper,  except  to  sign  my  name.  I  intended  to  write  to 
Mary  and  if  I  do  not  she  will  know  that  it  is  because  I  am  dis- 
qualified. Perhaps  after  going  to  Broad  street  and  taking  a  cup 
of  tea  I  may  feel  more  equal  to  it.  We  moved  into  the  new 
office  on  the  7th  and  it  is  without  doubt  the  admiration,  if  not 
the  envy,  of  the  city.  But  I  refer  you  to  Carey  for  the  auspi- 
cation  of  the  building,  which  took  place  on  the  5th. 

Our  cousin,  Johnston,  will  accompany  Caroline  and  I  think 
you  will  be  very  much  pleased  with  him.  He  is  a  remarkable 
young  man.  I  wish  him  to  travel  for  two  years,  for  he  is  quite 
too  good  for  the  beaten  track  of  education,  to  do  justice  to  his 
parts.  Rare  abilities  should  not  sufl^er  for  want  of  development 
and  I  would  by  no  means  have  him  pass  for  an  unpolished 
diamond.     I   will  give   Carey  dollars  for  old  Tom   and, 

that  he  may  retail  it  accurately,  I  send  it  in  silver. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU  KING 

Winsborough,  12  July,  1849. 
My  dear  Sue: 

I  had  just  sealed  a  letter  to  Ma,  when  the  servant  tapped 
gently  at  the  door  and  being  told  to  come  in,  to  my  utter  aston- 
ishment produced  a  letter  from  you.  You  will  not  think  it 
strange  that  I  was  thus  surprized  when  you  understand,  that 
before  I  wrote  to  Ma  last  evening,  I  had  gone  to  the  Post  Office 
as  soon  as  the  Court  adjourned  and  asked  for  a  letter,  and  was 
assured  by  the  inaccurate  postmaster  in  person,  that  there  was 


278  -^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

no  letter  for  me.  This  assurance  he  had  given  in  the  presence 
of  Mr.  DeSaussure  and  was,  therefore,  bound  in  honor  to  main- 
tain that  I  had  no  correspondence  in  his  office.  And  after  this 
public  declaration,  I  think  it  is  rather  wonderful  that  he  had  the 
candor  to  retract  the  story  that  he  had  told.  Whatever  may  be 
thought  of  the  struggle,  which  pride  and  conscience  carried  on 
in  the  worthy  postmaster's  mind  between  keeping  his  word  and 
doing  his  duty,  the  letter  was  most  welcome  and  the  pleasure  was 
enhanced,  when,  from  the  date  I  saw  that  you  were  at  Sullivan's 
Island.  All  the  consequences,  which  Caroline  and  Louise  repre- 
sented, would  certainly  attend  a  public  demonstration  of  the 
want  of  cordiality  or  even  of  hospitable  civility,  between  mem- 
bers of  one  family,  who  ought  for  so  many  reasons  to  be  united 
in  one  sentiment.  It  is  enough  for  the  rich  and  grand  to  install 
Erinnys  in  their  halls.  Strife  sits  at  the  table  of  the  great,  just 
as  satiety  and  ennui  do,  but,  for  poor  folks,  such  a  connexion  is 
as  distressing  and  as  much  out  of  place  as  low  fare  and  want  of 
appetite.  *  *  *  j  heartily  wish  that  I  had  so  much  influence 
over  you  as  to  effect  that  change  which,  I  am  sure,  you  must 
desire  as  much  as  I.  I  mean  the  change  that  is  implied  in 
acquiring  such  a  mastery  over  oneself  as  to  suppress  the  rising 
of  passion  under  what  is  at  the  moment  offensive  or  disagreeable. 
I  asure  you,  my  dear  Sue,  that  until  you  effect  such  a  reformation 
in  your  temper,  your  life  will  be  "lost  in  quicksands  and  shal- 
lows." Time,  that  makes  an  end  of  our  being  here,  makes 
amends  by  many  good  offices  and  particularly  by  assisting  those, 
who  conscienciously  endeavor  to  check  the  sallies  of  a  too  suscep- 
tible temperament.  But  on  the  other  hand,  when  there  is  not 
a  sincere  and  pious  effort  to  overcome  the  infirmity  of  a  quick 
temper,  age  only  aggravates  the  evil;  and  we  too  often  see  even 
among  persons  not  naturally  of  a  malignant  or  even  an  unamiable 
disposition,  instances  of  old  age  under  the  influence  of  ungov- 
ernable temper,  losing  almost  entirely  the  use  of  reason.  Don't 
be  impatient  under  this  lecture  nor  think  I  am  unjust  because  I 
am  serious.  I  am  not  so  unjust  as  to  expect  from  a  person 
naturally  of  warm  feelings,  the  same  circumspection,  that  is 
habitually  easy  to  a  mind  differently  constituted,  or  to  disguise 
the  difficulties  of  the  struggle  by  which  the  triumphs  of  Temper 
are  gained.  But  it  is  no  reason  for  declining  a  duty,  that  it  is 
not  easy.  If  no  duties  but  such  as  come  quite  easy  to  us  are  to 
be  kept,  there  would  be  no  great  merit  in  doing  well.  I  am 
sensible  dear  child  that  you  have  inherited  from  me,  much  of 
what  I  am  anxious  that  you  should  correct  and  when  I  touch 
this  subject,  I  do  it,  as  one  that  would  extract  the  thorn  from 
his  own  flesh.  There  is  no  hope  of  my  leaving  this  hot,  weari- 
some place  before  Sunday.  My  love  to  Caroline  and  Louise; 
remember  me  to  Henry. 

Your  Parent. 


James  Louis  Petigru  279 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU  KING 

Columbia,  November  27,  1849. 
*     *     *     You  will  suppose  that  Henry's  intention  of  retiring 
[Henry  D.  Lesesne,  his  partner]  is  extremely  embarrassing  to  me. 
If  I  could  make  it  agreeable  to  him  to  remain  I  would  certainly 
do  so;  but  if  he  retires  I  do  not  know  what  I  will  do.     *     *     * 

The  clients  of  the  firm  always  desired  Mr.  Petigru  to  appear 
for  them  in  court.  Such  being  the  case  Mr.  Lesesne  felt  that  he 
was  not  doing  his  full  share  of  the  work,  and  desired  to  with- 
draw from  the  firm. 


280  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

1850 

Calvary  Church  Riot;  Compromise  of  1850;  Appointed 
U.  S.  District  Attorney;  Philadelphia  on  Law  Business; 
South  Carolina  Legislature;  Travels  of  J.  J.  Pettigrew. 

The  year  before  the  Missouri  Compromise  and  Petigru's 
appointment  as  United  States  District  Attorney  was  marked 
by  his  active,  courageous  check  to  the  Calvary  Church  riot. 
The  angry  feelings  produced  by  the  efforts  of  both  the  Pres- 
byterian and  Episcopalian  churches  to  provide  sound  religious 
instruction  to  the  negroes,  culminated  in  a  riotous  attempt  to 
destroy  in  December,  1849,  the  Episcopal  Calvary  Church,  then 
in  the  course  of  erection. 

After  prominent  citizens  had  vainly  appealed  to  the  mob  to 
desist,  they  sent  for  Mr.  Petigru;  he  rushed  from  his  office  and 
from  the  steps  of  the  City  Hall  indignantly  remonstrated  with 
the  crowd:  "How  can  you  be  such  damned  fools,  as  to  attempt 
to  destroy  this  Church,  even  if  you  have  to  set  fire  to  the  town. 
Have  you  not  seen  enough  of  fire  here  to  be  afraid  of  it?  It  is 
the  only  thing  that  decent  men  are  afraid  of  !  Men,  let  us  call  a 
meeting;  if  you  are  right,  I  will  go  with  you;  if  you  are  wrong, 
you  will  carry  out  your  purpose  over  my  dead  body."  Hesita- 
tion ensued,  debate  arose,  a  committee  of  fifty  was  finally 
appointed  and  the  crowd  dispersed.  This  committee  after  col- 
lecting information  throughout  the  South,  in  April,  1850,  at  a 
meeting  held  at  the  City  Hall,  reported  that  the  movement  for 
the  Christianization  of  the  negroes  was  deserving  of  support. 
All  danger  of  further  violence  was  at  an  end.  At  this  meeting 
the  Honorable  F.  H.  Elmore,*  who  had  been  appointed  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Calhoun  in  the  U.  S.  Senate,  moved  the  adop- 
tion of  the  report  in  an  eloquent  speech.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  and  had  always  favored  the 
project;  he  was  expected  to  speak  but  to  the  surprise  of  the 

*He  took  his  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate  on  the  6th  of  May,  1850,  and  died 
twenty-three  days  later. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  281 

meeting,  Mr.  Petigru  rose  to  second  the  motion.  It  was  such  a 
speech  as  is  not  often  heard;  the  Assembly  was  thrilled  as  he 
poured  forth  his  feelings;  but  when  he  said,  "The  liberty  of 
teaching  was  good  and  true  to  all  men;  why,  sirs,  that  is  what 
brought  many  of  our  fathers  here,"  the  audience  was  carried 
away  with  enthusiasm.  Not  many  words  were  required  to  be 
added,  and  the  question  for  the  separate  church  for  the  negroes 
in  Charleston  was  settled  for  all  time. 

By  1850  the  slavery  question  had  become  such  a  burning  issue 
that  in  South  Carolina  secession  was  openly  talked  of;  people 
became  decidedly  volcanic  in  their  sentiments  and  Mr.  Edward 
McCrady,  who  in  1834  had  declined  to  take  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance to  South  Carolina,  resigned  the  office  of  United  States 
District  Attorney  which  he  had  held  for  ten  years.  In  order 
that  the  operations  of  the  court  should  not  become  obstructed, 
Daniel  Webster,  the  Secretary  of  State,  requested  his  triend  Mr. 
Petigru,  then  the  most  prominent  member  of  the  Whig  party  in 
South  Carolina,  to  recommend  a  man  for  the  office.  Not  hav- 
ing been  able  to  find  a  man  willing  to  accept  he  was  obliged  to 
assume  it  himself.  He  appointed  his  son  Daniel  his  assistant. 
He  retained  this  office  until  1854,  when  his  successor,  Mr.  Thomas 
Evans,  was  appointed  by  the  next  administration.  President 
Fillmore's  recollection  of  this  appointment  was  given  in  his  letter 
of  April  4, 1863,  to  J.  C.  Hamilton,*  from  which  the  following  is 
an  extract: 

Buffalo,  April  4,  1863. 

According  to  the  best  of  my  recollection  the  district  attorney 
of  S.  C.  resigned  about  the  time  I  came  into  office  and  knowing 
Mr.  Petigru  by  reputation,  I  tendered  to  him  the  office  which  he 
declined,  but  recommended  another  man,  whom  I  appointed 
but  he  declined  or  resigned,  and  atter  considerable  inquiry  no 
man  was  found  who  had  the  moral  courage  to  accept  the  appoint- 
ment; so  strong  was  public  sentiment  against  my  administra- 
tion and  the  union.  I  then  made  a  personal  appeal  to  Mr. 
Petigru,  insisting  that  I  must  have  a  district  attorney,  for  in  the 
then  feverish  state  of  the  country  no  one  could  tell  how  soon  the 
services  of  such  an  officer  would  be  indispensible  to  the  adminis- 
tration of  justice  and  the  maintenance  of  law  and  order,  and  I 
urged  him  from  patriotic  motives  to  waive  his  objections,  and 
submit  to  the  sacrifice  for  the  good  of  the  country,  and  as  an 


*The  eldest  surviving  son  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  ot  New  York.     The  Hamil- 
tons  of  New  York  and  South  Carolina  are  not  related. 


282  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

act  of  personal  friendship  to  me,  and  on  this  appeal  he  reluctantly 
consented  to  take  the  office,  and  was  appointed  and  held  the 
office  during  my  administration. 

I  regarded  it  then  and  do  now  as  an  act  of  moral  heroism  such 
as  very  few  men  are  capable  of  performing,  and  which  justly 
entitled  him  to  my  thanks  and  the  gratitude  of  his  country. 

He  was  indeed  a  truly  noble  man,  and  we  shall  scarcely  look 
upon  his  like  again. 

Petigru's  letters  concerning  his  appointment  are  in  the 
Bureau  of  Appointments,  Department  of  State: 

TO   PRESIDENT   FILLMORE 

Charleston,  18  October,  1850. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  am  unwilling  to  let  the  mail  close  without  acknowledging 
the  honor  you  have  done  me  by  your  letter  of  the  15.  Tho'  I 
can  not  answer  all  the  points  that  you  refer  to,  till  tomorrow, 
because  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  see  Mr.  Bryan.  It  is  essen- 
tial to  have  a  supporter  of  the  administration  in  the  place  of 
your  law-officers  here,  and  T  really  begin  to  fear  that  he  will  have 
something  to  do.  But  Mr.  Kimhardt  will  not  answer.  The 
recommendations  which  he  produced  from  Mr.  Holmes  must  be 
set  down  to  the  influence  of  the  hope,  then  pending  on  the 
Election. 

With  great  and  sincere  consideration  I  am  Dear  Sir 

Yours, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

TO   president   FILLMORE 

Charleston,  9  November,  1850. 
My  dear  Sir: 

The  favor  which  you  did  me  the  honor  of  writing  to  me  on  the 
4th  was  not  received  till  last  evening,  owing  to  my  absence.  I 
had  already  addressed  a  few  lines  to  you  expressive  of  my  self 
reproach  in  introducing  Mr.  Whaley  to  the  notice  of  your  admin- 
istration. His  rejection  of  the  office  renders  it  more  difficult 
than  ever  to  find  a  proper  person  for  the  place,  and  in  these  cir- 
cumstances I  see  no  course  for  me  to  advise,  better  than  to  take 
the  appointment  myself.  You  may  therefore  consider  me  as 
retracting  my  first  answer,  and  declaring  my  readiness  to  serve 
in  the  place  of  District  Attorney  till  a  satisfactory  choice  can  be 
otherwise  made. 

With  the  highest  consideration, 
Yours  truly, 


'James  Louis  Petigru  283 

This  is  endorsed: 

Refd.  to  Secy,  of  State  to  make  out  a  commission  for  Mr. 
Petigru  and  send  it  to  me  and  1  will  enclose  it  to  him. 

Nov.  12.  iM.  F. 

During  the  excitement  of  1850  Mr.  Petigru  had  occasion  to 
argue  a  case  at  Chester  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  Pass- 
ing through  Columbia  he  took  tea  at  the  house  of  his  friend,  the 
Hon.  Wm.  C.  Preston,  then  President  of  the  South  Carolina 
College.  Chester  was  one  of  the  most  violent  portions  of  the 
State  and  Mr.  Preston  cautioned  him  not  to  express  his  senti- 
ments unnecessarily.  "Preston,"  said  he,  "I  will  endeavor  to 
control  the  unruly  member."  Some  days  after  he  returned  and 
again  took  tea  at  his  friend's  house  in  the  College  campus. 
After  some  conversation  on  other  topics  Mr.  Preston  asked  if 
he  had  been  so  prudent  as  to  follow  his  advice.  "Why,  sir," 
rejoined  Mr.  Petigru,  "I  had  reached  the  point  of  departure 
and  gave  myself  credit  for  unusual  reticence  when  our  friend 
Dunnovant  proposed  a  drink  and  as  we  lifted  our  glasses  said, 
'Mr.  Petigru,  let  us  drink  to  the  health  of  South  Carolina.'  For 
my  life  I  could  not  avoid  replying,  'With  all  my  heart,  and  her 
return  to  her  senses.' 

Of  the  dissolution  of  his  law  firm  Petigru  wrote  feelingly  on 
August  7,  1850: 

I  have  said  nothing  of  the  dissolution  of  Petigru  &  Lesesne. 
It  really  was  next  thing  in  my  feelings  to  a  dissolution  of  the 
Union.  1  put  it  off  in  every  way,  and  it  never  would  have  been 
done  if  Henry  had  not  written  the  advertisement  and  brought 
it  to  me  to  sign.  Henry  King  so  far  behaves  as  well  as  any  one 
could  do.  Henry  Lesesne  is  still  in  possession  of  his  apartment 
and  I  wish  him  to  stay  as  long  as  it  is  agreeable. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Philadelphia,  12    Septr.,  1850. 
Dear  Children: 

Tho'  it  has  been  said  of  old  times,  that  wonders  will  never 
cease,  they  can  not  fail  to  excite  a  strong  emotion  whenever  they 
do  happen;  and  no  doubt  everybody  will  be  astonished  and  none 
more  than  Sue  and  Carey  to  see  the  Governor*  outside  of  his  own 


*W.  A.  Carson. 


284  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

Island.  Yet,  he  is  to  be  the  bearer  of  this  identical  letter  and 
the  letter  therefore,  will  be  a  test  to  show  that  you  may  believe 
your  senses  when  you  see  him.  I  wish  that  we  could  return 
together,  but  I  do  not  know  the  most  eligible  way  of  doing  that. 
The  Osprey  will  sail,  I  suppose,  about  a  fortnight  hence,  but  she  is 
a  dull  thing  as  Carey  knows,  and  a  sailing  packet,  if  we  had  such 
an  one  as  the  South  Carolina  with  Capt.  Hamilton,  would  be  a 
better  choice.  But  don't  you  all  want  to  see  Philadelphia  again 
and  will  you  not  be  drawn  this  way  in  spite  of  the  dullness  of  the 
Osprey^.  *  *  *  Gen.  Hamilton  is  here  and  in  very  good 
spirits,  as  well  he  may  be,  for  the  Texan  Boundary  Bill  will  put 
money  in  his  pocket,*  to  which,  the  said  pocket  is  little  accus- 
tomed. I  rejoice  myself  in  the  settlement  of  the  distracting 
questions,  that  have  been  before  the  country.  Internal  peace 
is  now  secured  for  my  lifetime,  as  I  believe,  and  I  wish  to  leave 
the  world  without  more  broils,  happy  that  those  I  am  to  see  are 
no  more.     Adieu  my  dear  children  and  write  to 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

December  19,  1850. 

The  difficulty  of  answering  your  letter  of  26th  November  was 
not  so  much  want  of  time  or  want  of  something  to  say  as  want 
of  decision,  for  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  say  that  I  was 
not  coming  to  Badwell  this  year.  But  the  dreadful  time  has 
come  when  I  can  hesitate  no  longer.  I  came  home  on  Wednes- 
day, which  was  yesterday,  and  found  more  business  than  I  can 
do  before  Christmas  and  after  Christmas  I  have  not  a  day  to 
spare  to  prepare  for  the  Court  of  Appeals.  So  good-bye  to 
Badwell  for  the  year  1850.  "Farewell  to  Lochaber, "  but  not, 
I  trust,  to  the  burthen  of  the  same  sad  song,  "We  return  to 
Lochaber  no  more. "  No,  I  would  be  miserable  if  I  thought  so. 
I  shall  only  think  of  you  the  more  because  I  can  not  be  with  you, 
and  don't  think  that  my  solemn  settled  purpose  to  see  Badwell 
every  year  is  not  to  be  depended  on  any  more.  Consider  how 
many  exceptions  there  are  in  this  case — my  trips  to  Philadel- 
phia and  my  unexpected  detention  in  Columbiaf  three  weeks. 

There  had  been  on  the  General's  [Adams]  part  much  foul  play 
and  he  carried  the  day  by  eleven  votes.  It  was  easy  to  set  aside 
the  election,  but  Black  claimed  the  seat  and  really  proved  him- 
self entitled  to  it,  because  he  had  a  majority  of  the  legal  votes. 


*0n  the  admission  of  Texas  as  a  State  its  scrip  rose  from  17  cents  on  the  dollar  to 

par. 

fThe  Columbia  expedition  was  to  conduct  before  the  committee  on  privileges 

and  elections,  in  the  Senate,  a  contest  for  the  seat  of  the  Richland  Senator. 

The  parties  were  Jo.  Black,  a  native  of  Long  Cane,  and  Gen.  Adams  of  the  Fork, 

-<;  it  is  called — a  peninsula  between  the  two  rivers  Congaree  and  Wateree. 


James  Louis  Petigrn  285 

But  the  practice  of  voting  in  writing  by  closed  papers  gives  rise 
to  many  difficulties  in  getting  at  tne  truth  in  such  cases  and 
makes  the  Judges  very  unwilling  to  give  the  seat  to  one  that  did 
not  show  the  majority  of  the  ballots  at  the  count.  So,  after 
examining  more  than  one  hundred  witnesses  the  committee 
ended  by  setting  aside  the  election  and  sending  them  both  to 
the  people  to  try  a  second  ballot. 

Although  1  was  there  so  long  I  never  was  in  a  house  except  at 
the  college  and  the  hotel  and  the  State  House.  I  saw  Mr. 
Preston,  who  was  greatly  improved  and  thinks  that  he  can  go 
on  with  the  administration  of  the  college.  He  withdrew  his 
letter  of  resignation  and  the  trustees  expressed  their  satisfaction 
in  his  doing  so.  Our  friend  J A is  in  college  and  a  com- 
petitor for  the  first  honor.  He  is  another  sort  of  person  since 
last  summer.     He  wished  to  visit  you  at  Badwell  and     *     *     * 

I  backed  his  request.     But  J suffers  for  the  transgressions 

of  his  class.  When  they  were  all  suspended  last  May  it  was  a 
question  among  the  trustees  whether  the  faculty  or  the  boys 
should  suffer.  Many  wanted  to  acquit  the  boys  and  as  a  meas- 
ure of  policy  looked  out  for  some  good  ground  to  censure  the 
faculty.  They  hit  upon  the  practice  of  allowing  them  to  visit 
home  at  the  Christmas  holidays.  It  was  an  indulgence  Mr. 
Preston  was  accustomed  to  grant  without  having  the  sanction  of 
the  rules  which  the  trustees  had  made.  They  carried  a  resolu- 
tion, therefore,  that  the  rules  should  be  strictly  adhered  to  about 
holidays  and  the  consequence  is  the  college  at  this  Christmas 

will  present  a  scene — I  fear  a  bad  one.     J has  promised  to 

keep  his  room  and  read  L-ivy  instead  of  joining  in  any  sport. 
The  college  is  no  place  for  merry  Christmas  and  those  who  will 
make  it  a  solemn  day  will  conform  best  to  the  spirit  of  the  time 
in  such  a  place. 

As  to  the  Legislature  I  saw  nothing  of  them  till  Tuesday  night, 
when  my  labors  were  over.  I  sat  by  Ben  Martin  watching  their 
motions,  which  were  as  interesting  as  a  wild  flock  or  a  flight  of 
birds  newly  alighteil  in  a  ploughed  field.  They  voted  over  and 
over  again  on  the  same  thing — a  State  convention,  and,  though 
it  was  rejected  several  times,  it  was  carried  the  next  day,  as  I 
see  by  the  papers.  Mr.  [B.  Y .\  Perry  told  me  there  were  not 
more  than  four  or  five  Union  men  in  the  house.  I  am  sorry  to 
see  that  our  friend,  Henry  Lesesne,  is  one  ot  them.  For  why 
should  all  the  thankless,  unremunerating  virtue  fall  to  our  side? 
I  never  spoke  to  Henry  on  the  subject,  and  really  supposed  that 
he  had  taken  the  infection  of  the  popular  madness,  when  I  was 
sadly  undeceived  by  his  votes.  But  harder  even  than  that  of 
the  honest  men  is  the  fate  of  our  friend,  Memminger,  who  has 
said  and  done  enough  to  lose  himself  with  one  sort,  and  is  sus- 
pected by  the  other  of  being  more  conservative  than  he  pre- 
tends to  be.     In  one  word  they  will  not  believe  that  he  is  a 


286  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

traitor,  as  Barnwell  Rhett  proclaimed  that  he  was.  This  last 
gentleman,  too,  has  his  cup  dashed  with  a  bitter  taste  even  in 
the  act  of  raising  it  to  his  lips.  There  were  but  two  candidates, 
Rhett  and  Hammond,  and  yet  it  required  four  ballotings  to  get 
an  election.  This  could  not  have  happened  if  so  many  people 
— about  one-third  of  the  whole  body — had  not  thought  that 
neither  was  fit  for  the  place.  Nothing  is  more  calculated  to 
inspire  confidence  in  them  that  look  for  a  reaction  than  this 
very  circumstance.  The  whole  Legislature,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  are  declared  disunionists,  yet  they  object  to  Barn- 
well Rhett  because  he  was  so  violent.  I  infer  from  this  that  they 
are  not  so  mad  as  they  affect  to  be,  and  that  with  a  great  deal  of 
real  malice  there  is  also  a  good  deal  of  acting. 

I  have  had  a  letter  from  Johnston,*  who  has  returned  to  Berlin 
from  a  long  excursion  into  Hungary.  He  gives  me  an  account 
of  his  journey,  but  I  must  say  that  Johnston  will  have  to  pay  a 
great  deal  of  attention  to  style  before  he  learns  to.  write  a  good 
letter,  and  before  he  becomes  an  agreeable  correspondent  he 
must  be  more  legible.  In  some  parts  he  is  as  hard  to  construe 
as  Barnwell  Rhett,  whose  hand,  you  know,  is  no  more  accessible 
to  common  readers  than  Egyptian  hieroglyphics.     *     *     * 


*J.  Johnston  Pettigrew. 


James  Louis  Peti^ru  287 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

1851 

Murder  Case  at  Camden;  His  Nephew;  Phil  Porcher 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

[Camden]  April  5,  1851. 
This  is  the  second  day  of  the  Court  and  the  Grand  Jury  has 
found  a  bill  for  murder  against  the  person  I  have  come  to  defend. 
We  go  into  the  trial  in  the  morning  and  when  you  receive  this 
letter  you  may  suppose  me  surrounded  by  the  dense  crowd, 
whom  business  and  curiosity  have  collected  to  hear  this  case — 
with  Judge  Wardlaw  on  the  bench,  and  lawyers  wrangling  and 
witnesses  swearing,  and  the  prisoner,  a  young  man,  upwards  of 
six  feet  high,  sitting  in  the  dock  waiting  for  his  fate.  It  is 
probable  that  the  case  will  take  two  days,  and  I  hope  it  will  not 
take  more,  and  if  so  I  may  get  home  on  Friday,  but  Saturday  is 
more  probable.  I  never  was  here  before.  It  is  a  stationary 
place.  Some  planters  have  good  houses  and  there  are  3,000  or 
4,000  inhabitants,  and  there  is  DeKalb's  monument  and  the 
house  that  Cornwallis  occupied,  which  is  still  called  after  his 
name.  I  found  very  good  lodgings  at  the  inn,  which  bears  the 
name  of  the  Wateree  Hotel,  and  my  old  student,  James  Chesnut* 
is  very  obliging  and  attentive.  But  you  must  not  confound  him 
with  the  inn-keeper,  tor  he  belongs  to  the  aristocracy,  is  one  of 
the  lawyers  engaged  in  the  case,  a  man  of  consequence  here  and 
in  Columbia. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

April  22,  1851. 
*  *  *  Our  plans  seem  to  be  settling  on  an  island  residence 
again.  I  think  sister  has  given  up  Virginia  for  a  family  that  I 
have  bought.  A  woman  of  very  good  qualities  and  five  children. 
It  has  been  a  long  discussion.  I  was  much  averse  to  it,  but 
sister's  perseverance  and  the  poor  woman's  anxiety  have  carried 
the  day.  After  she  got  into  the  house  we  could  hardly  do  other- 
wise than  purchase,  though  the  price  is  like  money  thrown  awav, 
for  an  increase  of  servants  is  only  an  increase  of  expense.     But 


*A  United  States  Senator,  1860;  and  during  the  war  Brigadier  General  and  aide 
to  Jefferson  Davis. 


288  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

I  doubt  if  one  thousand  nine  hundred  dollars  worth  of  medicine 
would  have  done  sister  as  much  good.     *     *     * 

I  have  forgot  my  taxes.  You  may  pay  all  in  your  name,  or 
pay  for  each  distinctly,  but  let  me  request  you  to  make  the  pay- 
ment. I  can  not  pay  here  and  do  not  wish  to  cheat  the  State; 
it  is  enough  for  the  Secessionists  to  do  that. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

May  14,  1851. 
My  dear  Sister: 

I  have  just  returned  from  Washington,  where  I  spent  Thurs- 
day, Friday,  and  Saturday  last.  The  first  person  I  saw  was 
Mr.  Webster  and  the  last  was  Gen.  Scott.  The  very  evening  I 
arrived  I  called  on  the  President  and  spent  three  hours  with 
him,  which  he  had  the  politeness  to  say  that  he  could  not  have 
spent  more  agreeably.  Our  conversation  was  all  about  the 
State,  however,  and  I  made  no  interest  with  him  for  anybody. 
*  *  *  Mr.  Webster  looks  like  a  person  who  is  breaking,  and 
if  he  does  not  meet  with  rest  I  am  afraid  his  strength  will  give 
way.     *     *     * 

Gen.  Scott  arrived  in  Washington  from  a  journey  of  forty  days 
on  Saturday  and  came  immediately  to  see  me.  I  was  dining 
with  Mr.  Webster,  but  as  soon  as  I  came  to  my  lodgings  and 
heard  it  I  posted  off  and  found  him  at  home  and  stayed  with 
him  a  couple  of  hours.  I  did  not  beg  for  Phil,  though  I  had  it 
always  in  my  mind  and  only  wanted  to  make  sure  of  my  aim 
before  I  said  anything.     *     *     * 

I  have  said  nothing  of  politics,  but  the  general  opinion  here  is 
decidedly  against  the  late  Convention,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  the  public  mind  is  cooling.     *     *     * 


TO   PHILIP   PORCHER* 


Charleston,  16  June,  1851. 

My  dear  Phil:  .      .       ^        y        ■  i.    \. 

By  this  mail  you  receive  a  communication  fraught  with  the 
most  important  consequences,  whether  for  weal  or  for  woe,  and 
which  must  seriously  affect  the  future  course  of  your  life.  It  is 
nothing  less  than  a  notification  from  the  Hon.  Mr.  Graham  that 
you  are  to  be  admitted  to  the  honor  of  standing  an  examination 
for  the  place  of  a  midshipman  in  the  U.  S.  Navy.  I  hope  the 
examination  will  be  no  trial  of  your  depth  in  letters,  for  they  do 

♦Philip  Porcher  graduated  first  in  the  class  of  1855,  of  which  T.  O.  Selfridge  and 
E.  P.  Lull  were  members.  He  was  lost  in  September,  1863,  by  the  foundering 
of  the  Confederate  blockade  runner  Juno,  on  the  voyage  between  Charleston 
and  Nassau.  His  classmates,  after  the  war,  always  spoke  of  him  with  the 
greatest  respect  and  regard. 


Ja?nes  Louis  Petigru  289 

not  seem  to  think  that  much  learning  is  requisite  as  a  passport 
to  the  Steerage.  Nevertheless,  my  dear  Phil,  as  you  have  no 
time  but  what  remains  between  this  and  October,  to  finish  your 
grammar  school  education,  you  ought  to  redouble  your  exer- 
tions now,  and  lay  in  all  the  Latin  and  philosophy  that  you  can 
master,  before  you  go  to  sea.  You  will  have  an  opportunity 
after  you  are  admitted  into  the  service,  of  learning  geometry 
and  something  of  astronomy.  But,  all  that  is  taught  in  the 
naval  school,  has  reference  to  science,  as  contradistinguished 
from  literature.  Now,  the  things  which  you  will  be  taught  with 
reference  to  your  profession,  are  necessary  and  you  will  have  to 
learn  them,  and  they  confer  no  distinction  among  nautical  men, 
because  they  all  know  them,  of  course.  But,  the  things,  which 
are  learnt  at  grammar  school,  Latin  and  Rhetoric  and  History 
and  Geography  and  Logic  are  the  marks  of  a  polite  education, 
and  confer  distinction  on  an  officer  that  possesses  them,  which 
is  very  soothing  to  the  natural  feelings  of  men.  Therefore,  you 
should  work  now,  as  the  farmer  does,  who  has  only  a  few  hours 
of  daylight,  and  must  finish  his  task  before  the  night  closes  in. 
From  your  conduct  now,  I  shall  draw  an  augury  of  what  your 
future  life  will  be.  If  you  throw  down  your  books  and  conceive 
that  you  are  emancipated  from  the  toil  of  thinking  and  have 
scope'  for  enjoyment,  without  the  fear  of  the  schoolmaster,  I 
will  be  sadly  prepared  to  see  you  turn  out  a  drone  and  a  hanger- 
on  upon  the  service.  But  I  trust  that  very  different  feelings 
will  occupy  your  mind,  and  that  you  will  look  upon  the  good 
fortune  of  gaining  admission  into  an  honorable  career,  as  only 
valuable  because  it  will  enable  you  to  rise  to  eminence  and  dis- 
tinction. It  is  true  that  all  can  not  expect  brilliant  opportuni- 
ties. You  may  never  have  the  good  fortune  to  enter  the  harbor 
of  Charleston  with  the  wreath  of  victory  suspended  from  your 
prow,  but  it  is  the  spirit  of  emulation,  the  love  of  honor  and  a 
generous  ardor  for  distinction,  that  makes  a  man's  character 
and  stamps  him  with  superiority.  We  are  not  all  equally  fit 
for  all  things.  You  have  hitherto  discovered  traits  that  imply 
an  inclination  for  an  active,  rather  than  a  studious  life,  and  we 
have  consulted  the  bent  of  your  inclinations,  by  getting  you  a 
place  in  the  navy  where  the  love  of  action  will  have  full  room  for 
development.  But  you  must  not  suppose  that  an  active  life 
is  the  same  thing  as  a  life  of  enjoyment,  much  less  of  pleasure. 
No,  far  from  it.  The  severest  study  is  not  more  at  variance 
with  a  life  of  idleness,  than  an  active  life  with  the  pursuit  of 
pleasure.  You  have  chosen  a  profession,  in  fact,  that  is  full  of 
hardship,  and  the  first  steps  are  very  slow  and  very  heavy.  It 
will  require  all  your  fortitude  to  keep  from  repenting  of  your 
choice,  and  to  bear  up  under  privation  and  weariness  ot  spirit. 
But,  honor  is  not  honor  for  nothing,  and  if  you  can  not  suffer 
with  patience,  you  will  never  know  what  it  is  to  earn  praise,  and 


290  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

enjoy  success.  I  hope,  dear  Phil,  that  our  expectations  of  you 
will  not  be  disappointed,  and,  as  we  have  received  this  mark  of 
Mr.  Graham's  kindness,  at  a  time  when  our  hopes  were  almost 
extinct,  we  may  hereafter  bless  the  day  that  brought  his  warrant, 
as  the  commencement  of  your  rise  and  progress  in  the  navy. 
Study  history  and  rhetoric,  and  improve  yourself  as  if  you  never 
forgot  that  life  is  a  duty,  and  that  there  is  no  sure  road  to  happi- 
ness, but  by  the  path  of  duty.  You  must  take  care  to  write  to 
Mr.  Graham  immediately.  You  must  address  it  to  the  "Honbl. 
W.  A.  Graham;"  begin,  "Sir"  or  "Honored  Sir,"  and  say,  "I 
feel  highly  honored  by  your  official  note  of  the  10th  inst.,  con- 
veying a  notice  of  the  great  favor  done  me,  by  allowing  me  to  be 
examined  for  admission  into  the  Navy  of  the  United  States  as  a 
Midshipman.  I  beg  you  to  receive,  with  my  sincere  thanks,  the 
assurance,  that  I  will  accept  with  pride  of  the  offer,  and  not  fail 
to  appear  at  the  examination,"  and  sign  yourself  "Your  Obt. 
Servt."  Having  filled  the  sheet,  I  have  nothing  more  to  say 
than  that,  I  am,  dear  Phil, 

Your  affectionate  uncle, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

December  9,  1851. 
They  are  going  to  call  a  Convention.  I  always  thought  they 
would;  and  the  Convention  can  only  do  mischief.  How  much, 
no  one  can  tell.  We  ought  to  give  thanks,  with  grateful  hearts, 
that  the  rest  of  the  country  is  imbued  with  more  sense  and  a 
higher  notion  of  social  duty  than  South  Carolina. 


James  Louis  Petigru  291 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

1852 

Crying  Speech;   White   Sulphur   Springs;    Death   of  Mr. 
Webster;  Calhoun  Monument 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  January  8,  1852. 

*     *     *     U has  abandoned  his  appeal  and  I  have  not 

to  repeat  my  crying  speech,  and  Mrs.  W ,  relieved  from 

suspense  a  fortnight  sooner  than  we  expected,  embarked  on 
Thursday  for  Philadelphia,  with  her  children.  You  can  not 
conceive  how  great  the  relief  was  to  me,  who  was  in  terror  about 
speaking  again,  when  my  first  speech  had  been  praised  so  ridicu- 
lously beyond  its  merits.  *  *  *  I  embrace  the  sisterhood 
and  girlhood,  embracing  Mary  Blount  with  the  other  Marys  and 
remembering  Cedar  Hill,  while  commemorating  Badwell;  and 
including  Louis  in  the  parental  sentiment,  with  which  I  am, 
dear  Jane, 

Your  Brother. 

Mr.  Petigru  was  never  commonplace.  In  listening  to  him 
even  upon  ordinary  occasions  one  felt  the  power  of  a  high  moral 
nature  and  of  a  superior  mind.  At  times  he  rose  to  greatness. 
One  of  these  efforts  the  writer  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  hearing, 

his  speech  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  W ,  mentioned  in  the  above 

letter.  Driven  to  desperation  by  cruel  treatment  she  had  fled 
with  her  children  from  her  husband's  roof  under  the  protection 
of  two  gentlemen  of  the  vicinity  and  taken  refuge  in  the  city  of 
Charleston.  The  husband  followed  and  took  out  a  warrant 
to  keep  the  peace  against  the  gentlemen  who  protected  her, 
under  color  of  which  the  constable  possessed  himself  of  the  chil- 
dren. She  at  once  came  to  Mr.  Petigru,  who  sued  out  for  her  a 
writ  o{  habeas  corpus.  The  case  was  heard  at  Chambers  before 
Judge  Whitner.  There  was  no  crowd  who  could  be  roused  to 
madness  and  carried  off  their  feet  by  contagious  sympathy. 
Besides  the  parties  interested,  a  few  lawyers  and  students  con- 
stituted the  audience.  In  view  of  the  notorious  unfitness  of  the 
husband  in  this  instance  Mr.  Petigru  contended  that  the  Court 


292  -^?/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

would  at  least  replace  the  parties  in  the  position  in  which  they 
were  before  the  illegal  act  of  the  constable.  When  he  rose  it  was 
evident  from  the  convulsive  movements  of  his  lips  how  intensely 
he  felt;  and  when,  after  enumerating  simply  and  evidently  with 
suppressed  emotions,  the  various  acts  of  brutality  to  which  his 
client  had  been  subjected,  he  pointed  to  her  as  she  sat  beside  him, 
soon  to  become  again  a  mother,  and  asked  whether  the  child 
unborn  should  be  seized  by  such  a  father?  Judge  Whitner, 
who  was  of  a  very  tender  heart,  wept  until  the  tears  streamed 
down  his  cheeks  and  there  was  scarcely  a  dry  eye  among  the 
audience. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

BroadStreet,  July  17,  1852. 

*  *  *  The  Gen.  Pierce  who  is  the  Democratic  nominee  is  as 
obscure  a  man  as  any  person  in  the  United  States  that  ever  was 
a  Senator  or  general.  He  was,  years  ago,  a  Senator  from  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  lives.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  a 
general  in  Mexico.  He  is  a  drinking  gaming  sort  of  person, 
opposed  to  the  religious  tendencies  of  his  age  and  country,  and 
as  in  Catholic  countries  Atheists  pass  for  or  shelter  under  the 
name  of  Protestants,  Pierce  is  covered  by  the  mantle  of  the  Con- 
stitution and  by  opposition  to  abolition  and  free  soil.  It  will  be 
a  singular  thing  if  the  Whigs  carry  two  elections  in  succession, 
and  very  singular  if  both  candidates  are  from  New  Hampshire. 
But  I  predict  that  Gen.  Scott  will  be  our  candidate;  and  Mr. 
Webster  will  not  be  nominated  by  the  South,  because  he  can  not 
get  the  North.  There  again  is  a  strange  display  of  the  want  of 
reason  in  reasonable  beings.  The  North  are  prouder  of  Mr. 
Webster  than  of  any  other  man  among  them,  yet  in  the  distribu- 
tion of  honors  both  parties  give  him  the  go-by  and  pitch  upon 
common  men.  We  have  heard  nothing  yet  from  the  Whig  Con- 
vention, but  I  predict  that  the  news  will  be  carried  up  by  Har- 
riet, if  she  stays  a  night  in  Augusta,  for  I  think  they  will  get 
through  their  nomination  today.  It  is  my  fate  to  go  to  Virginia, 
and  I  presume  Sue  will  go  with  us.  My  love  to  the  sisterhood 
and  childhood  all  round. 

Your  Brother. 

to  alfred  huger 

White  Sulphur  Springs,  8  Sept.,  1852. 
My  dear  Huger: 

*  *  *  Singleton  has  been  ailing  since  Sunday  last.  We 
can  not  get  him  to  see  a  doctor,  and  he  has  only  just  consented 


'James  Louis  Petigru  293 

to  take  a  blue  pill  of  my  wife's  prescription.  When  urged  about 
a  doctor,  he  repeats  John  Randolph's  sentence,  who  consoled 
himself  on  the  death  of  a  valuable  overseer  on  hearing  that  he 
had  not  seen  a  doctor,  saying,  that  he  must  submit  since  the 
man  had  a  fair  chance.  The  company  is  dwindled  down  to  150 
or  200.  We  will  stay  a  week  longer  at  least,  and  then,  probably 
to  the  Warm  Springs  for  as  long.     *     *     * 

There  has  been  more  than  one  fuss  out  here,  and  our  country- 
men each  time,  had  a  hand  in  it.  Indeed  there  are  more  South 
Carolinians  here  than  any  others;  many  more  than  I  know. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  October  27,  1852. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  am  ashamed  of  being  at  home  four  days  without  writing. 
We  arrived  on  Friday  night  (22d).  There  was  a  great  deal  to 
hear  and  see,  and  on  Monday  came  the  news  of  Mr.  Webster's 
death,  which  I  confess  weighed  me  down  under  the  influence  of 
many  conflicting  emotions.  I  could  not  but  think  how  great  a 
man  he  was,  how  true  to  the  great  interests  of  his  country,  and 
how  little  justice  he  had  received,  at  least  from  our  countrymen. 
He  had  given  a  proof  of  disinterestedness  which  no  man  from  this 
State  ever  gave.  He  had  offended  his  friends  in  maintaining 
an  unpopular  cause.  And  what  is  truly  discouraging,  as  far  as 
reputation  in  this  latitude  constitutes  fame,  he  was  not  so  well 
off  as  even  to  be  neglected,  but  was  actually  represented  by 
those,  who  had  never  given  an  instance  of  disinterestedness  in 
their  lives,  as  a  selfish  politician.  Pondering  on  his  life,  and  the 
close  of  his  career  so  soon  after  that  of  Mr.  Clay,  was  enough,  I 
think,  to  justify  a  feeling  of  discouragement.     *     *     * 

Mr.  Petigru's  manners  were  warm  and  hearty;  often  impul- 
sive, and  sometimes  bordering  even  upon  the  hilarious;  and  yet 
no  man  stood  more  upon  social  form  and  ceremony  than  he  did. 
I  remember  on  one  occasion  a  young  gentleman  in  the  office 
announced  to  him  that  "Colonel"  Grayson  had  called.  In- 
stantly,with  an  expression  of  assumed  distress  upon  his  face,  he 
said  to  him:  "Augustus,  spare  him.  I  am  sure  he  never  held  a 
commission  in  his  life  and  would  feel  like  a  dove  in  epaulettes." 
On  another  occasion  a  student  in  the  office*  had  nursed  a  virgin 
beard  into  a  hopeful  growth.  One  day  Mr.  Petigru  stopped, 
looked  at  him  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes  and  said  to  him: 
"Julius,  shave;  were  you  a  young  cornet  of  horse  I  should  say 

*J.  B.  AUston. 


294  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

nothing,  but  for  one  following  a  civic  profession  to  carry  a 
bearded  face  is  not  good  form." 

During  the  winter  of  1852  there  was  great  rivalry  among  the 
schoolboys  in  the  collection  of  funds  for  the  Calhoun  monument. 
Mr.  Petigru  disapproved  of  giving  tips  to  children,  and  as  he 
generally  spoke  to  them  in  an  ironical  manner,  they  invariably 
stood  in  great  awe  of  him  with  the  exception  of  his  elder  grand- 
son, William,  who  was  somewhat  devoid  of  veneration.  Wil- 
liam boldly  asked  him  for  some  money  for  the  monument. 
Taking  from  his  pocket  two  old  coins  worth  twelve-and-a-half 
cents  (called  a  sevenpence)  he  gave  one  to  each  of  the  boys,  and 
said,"  Willie,  I  hereby  authorize  you  and  James  to  contribute 
six  and  a  quarter  cents  apiece  to  the  fund  for  the  monument  of 
John  C.  Calhoun,  and  the  six-and-a-quarter  cents  remaining 
are  left  to  your  own  ingenuity;  you  can  put  them  in  your 
pockets. " 


James  Louis  Petigru  295 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

1853 

Visit   to    Governor    David    Johnson;    the    Kohne    Case; 
"The  Busy  Moments  of  an  Idle  Woman" 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  10th  September,  1853. 

You  see,  my  dear,  that  my  peregrinations  are  over  at  last  and 
I  may  add  that  I  landed  safely  on  the  Island  in  the  3  o'clock 
boat  yesterday.  The  course  of  things  after  Louis  and  I  parted 
was  generally  smooth,  though  we  found  the  Pacelot  River  rough 
and  crossed  by  the  exposure  of  the  horses  to  risks  that  I  would 
not  have  exposed  mine  to,  and  by  sending  over  the  baggage  in  a 
canoe,  and  following  ourselves  in  a  second  trip,  crouching  in 
bottom  of  the  frail  bark  and  looking  with  fearful  eyes  at  the 
rapid  current  that  could  have  swallowed  us  up  in  a  twinkling. 
The  good  old  Governor*  was  rejoiced  to  see  me,  and  I  stayed 
with  him  two  days,  and  in  a  great  measure  persuaded  him  to 
come  and  spend  the  next  winter  in  Charleston.  In  this  respect 
I  think  my  visit  was  of  some  value  to  him  in  increasing  his  con- 
fidence in  the  friendship  of  the  people  here.  There  was  nobody 
with  him  but  Mrs.  David  Johnson,  his  son's  wife,  and  her  sister. 

Miss  W ,  a  young  lady  that  has  been  to  Washington,  and 

learned  to  talk  like  a  book.     *     *     * 

I  embrace  the  girls,  and,  commending  myself  to  the  Cap- 
tain's recollections,  am,  my  dear  sister,  as  ever,  affectionately, 

Your  Brother. 

Instead  of  setting  down  our  case  for  the  first  Monday  it  stands 
for  the  third  Monday  of  October.  Therefore  I  shall  not  leave 
home  as  soon  as  I  expected. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  two  days  after  the  date  of  this 
letter,  James  Louis  Petigru,  Jr.,  was  accidentally  drowned  in 
Little  River,  on  his  father's  farm  of  Cedar  Hill,  age  21. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  November  8,  1853. 
*     *     *     You  will  hear  that  I  argued  the  questions  growing 


"David  Johnson,  Dec.  1846-Dec.  1848. 


296  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

out  of  Mr.  Kohne's  will,  on  the  issue  of  which  a  good  deal 
depends,  and  that  we  carried  our  point  and  had  the  bill  dis- 
missed. But  the  Judge  did  not  pronounce  a  rnasterly  decree 
and  show  the  adversaries  how  untenable  their  position  is. 
Therefore,  it  is  probable  that  they  will  appeal  and  carry  the 
case  to  Washington,  where  it  will  not  be  heard  until  1855,  if 
then. 

In  the  arbitration  case  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  Mr. 
Cuvler  was  right  and  the  award  was  unanimous.  It  disposed  of 
?40,000.  I  was  very  sorry  that  Mr.  Morse,  the  inventor  of  the 
telegraph,  was  a  loser,  perhaps  the  heaviest  loser,  by  it,  though 
the  management  of  the  matter  and  much  of  the  interest  belonged 
to  the  famous  Amos  Kendall  and  the  award  condemned  his  acts 
as  illegal.     *     *     * 

The  case  was  heard  in  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Eli  K.  Price,  of 
Philadelphia,  as  attorney  of  some  relative  of  the  testatrix, 
opposed  the  acts  of  the  executors,  who  employed  as  their  attor- 
neys in  Philadelphia  Mr.  Guerard,  and  in  Charleston  Mr.  James 
Louis  Petigru.  Finally,  Mr.  Price  succeeded  in  getting  his 
contest  before  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  in  Washington. 
Mr.  Guerard  informed  the  executors  that  he  could  not  go  to 
Washington,  as  Mr.  Petigru  was  the  man  for  the  occasion.  Mr, 
Ravenel  called  on  Mr.  Petigru  and  told  him  of  the  necessity  of 
his  arguing  the  case  before  the  Supreme  Court.  Mr.  Petigru 
promptly  refused  to  do  so.  Mr.  Ravenel  urged  him.  "Why, 
Ravenel,"  said  Mr.  Petigru,  "shall  I  go  and  risk  my  little  repu- 
tation against  those  giants  in  Washington  ? "  After  a  pause  Mr. 
Ravenel  said:  "Mr.  Petigru,  if  you  go  to  Washington  a  fee  of 
$10,000  is  yours."  Mr.  Petigru  was  seated;  he  was  still  for  a 
few  moments  in  deep  thought.  He  arose  and  paced  the  room 
for  a  few  minutes  in  silence,  and  then  said:  "The  village  lawyer 
can  not  resist  a  fee  of  $10,000.  Ravenel,  I  believe  you  are  try- 
ing to  rob  the  church,  but  I  will  go."  He  went,  and  won  the 
case. 

Mr.  J.  Prioleau  Ravenel  kindly  furnishes  two  incidents  con- 
nected with  this  case. 

Mrs.  Kohne  left  as  her  executors  Dr.  Meigs,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  Mr.  William  Ravenel,  of  Charleston.  Dr.  Meigs  said  that 
all  of  the  wine  of  the  estate,  which  should  have  been  a  large 
quantity,  was  by  Mrs.  Kohne's  will  to  be  divided  between  her 
two  executors.     Mrs.  Kohne  was  in  the  habit  of  leaving  Phila- 


James  Louis  Petigru  191 

delphia  frequently  and  for  months  at  a  time.  Her  colored  ser- 
vants, in  her  absence,  used  to  occupy  the  whole  house  and  keep 
high  carnival. 

When  the  wine  was  to  be  divided,  it  was  found  that  every 
bottle  had  been  emptied  of  its  rich  contents  and  filled  with  water, 
except  one.  The  Doctor  also  said  that  Mr.  Ravenel,  with  great 
self-denial  and  courtesy,  had  insisted  upon  his  accepting  the 
only  evidence  that  the  estate  was  in  possession  of  wine,  the  one 
bottle  found. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  18  November,  1853. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  You  have  burst  upon  me  as  an  author*  almost  as 
surprisingly  as  Miss  Burney  did  on  her  unsuspicious  parent.  So 
little  was  I  anticipating  such  a  thing,  that,  if  Caroline  had  cared 
to  preserve  the  incognito,  I  don't  know  but  what  I  may  have 
gone  through  it  as  innocently  as  Ma,  who  thinks  it  very  good, 
but  has  never  asked  a  question  about  the  authorship,  consider- 
ing that  the  name  would  be  to  her  a  sound  without  meaning, 
just  the  same  as  the  information  that  the  book  was  the  work  of 
somebody.  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  receive  a  great  deal  of 
praise,  for  the  dialogue  is  witty  and  sparkling,  and  the  descrip- 
tions circumstantial  and  striking.  I  dare  say  that  if  you  were 
to  take  to  study,  you  might,  in  time,  attain  to  the  delineation 
of  the  passions  and  rise  to  the  walk  in  which  Miss  Austen  is 
admired.  But  it  is  something  to  do  as  much,  though  in  a  lower 
style  of  art,  and  tho'  your  performance  is  indebted  for  its  success 
to  the  initiation  of  temporary  evanescent  modes  of  behaviour 
and  can  hardly  be  expected  to  survive  the  present  fashion,  it  will 
be  remembered  longer  than  anything  that  any  of  the  rest  of  us 
have  done.  And  that  is  something  that  lays  your  kin  under  an 
obligation  and  is  felt  with  pleasure  mixed  with  pride  by 

Your  Father. 

P.  S. — I  believe  that  the  interest  would  be  better  kept  up  by 
standing  in  the  reserve  and  making  the  authorship  a  sort  of 
secret.     It  can't  be  more,  considering  how  many  are  in  the  plot. 


*"The  Busy  Moments  of  an  Idle  Woman,"  Harpers.     The  name  was  suggested 
by  her  sister,  Mrs.  Carson. 


298  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

1854 

Borrowing  Money  for  Client;  Case  at  Walterboro; 
Speech  at  Semi-Centennial  of  South  Carolina  College; 
Dinner  with  Governor  Manning;  Preventing  a  Duel; 
The  Genus  "Rice  Planter";  Grayson's  Poem 

to  MRS.  jane  PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  January  28,  1854. 

*  *  *  I  had  just  been  reading  your  letter,  and  recollecting 
what  you  said  of  Charles  only  needing  more  negroes  to  make  as 
much  money  as  he  pleased,  was  inclined  to  wish  that  Dick's 
thirty-six  negroes  were  on  the  lake.  But  when  I  reflected  that 
negroes  are  now  six  hundred  dollars  a  head,  I  thought  that  I 
would  always  rather  see  a  stranger  buying  at  that  price  than  a 
friend.  Our  friend  Phil  has  been  buying  out  his  neighbor, 
Hedley — $8,000  for  the  whole  subject.  I  suppose  it  is  a  saving 
purchase,  because  he  can  sell  the  negroes  and  keep  the  land  at  a 
low  figure.     *     *     * 

I  was  in  Savannah  a  month  ago  to-day.  It  was  to  give  Cliffy 
Postell*  away  and  give  the  ceremony  all  due  honor  that  I  yielded 
to  their  wishes  and  went  on  Monday  and  returned  on  Wednes- 
day night's  boat.  They  are  now  all  here.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King  have 
behaved  very  handsomely  by  the  young  lady.  They  have 
received  her  with  warmth  and  all  her  family  with  attention. 
*  *  *  You  seem  to  think  I  am  bound  for  Washington,  which 
is  not  so.  I  have  no  design  to  see  it  before  next  January,  when 
Mrs.  Kohne's  case  is  to  be  argued.     *     *     * 

Your  affectionate  Brother,  J.  L.  P. 

It  was  about  this  time  in  his  practice  that  an  incident  occurred 
which  illustrates  the  felicitous  manner  in  which  he  disarmed 
opposition  by  a  happy  remark.  J.  Harleston  Read,  Jr.,  was  for 
years  a  member  of  the  Legislature  from  the  parish  of  Prince 
George  W^inyah.  Colonel  Commander  was  a  prominent  local 
politician  in  that  section,  and  Mr.  Read  had  gone  on  his  bond. 
There  was  default  in  the  payment,  and  Mr.  Petigru  was  em- 

*Mrs.  Petigru's  niece,  Miss  Clifford  Postelle,  married  Mr.  J.  Gadsden  King. 
Their  son,  Alexander  C.  King,  is  a  distinguished  lawyer  of  Atlanta,  Ga. 


James  Louis  Petigrii  299 

ployed  to  sue  the  bond.  So  busy  was  he  in  Charleston  that  he 
very  nearly  forgot  all  about  the  Georgetown  Court.  Late  on  Sat- 
urday he  remembered  the  engagement  for  Monday,  and  taking  a 
carriage  drove  to  the  Thirty-two-mile  House  and  thence,  early 
on  Monday  morning,  reached  Georgetown  in  time  for  Court. 
The  first  person  he  met  as  he  descended  from  the  vehicle  was 
J.  Harleston  Read,  Sr.,  who  advanced  toward  him  with  out- 
stretched hand,  saying:  "Why  Mr.  Petigru,  what  has  brought 
you  to  Georgetown?"  "I  have  come,"  said  Mr.  Petigru,  cor- 
dially grasping  his  proffered  hand,  "I  have  come  to  help  our 
friend  Harleston  to  pay  his  debts." 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  July  29,  1854. 

*  *  *  I  have  been  preparing  to  leave  and  have  got  nearly 
everything  ready — even  to  summer  reading.  I  bought  this 
morning  "Dr.  Kane's  Expedition  to  the  North  Pole  in  Search 
of  Sir  John  Franklin,"  which  I  thought  would  be  an  agreeable 
solace  of  the  dog  days.     *     *     * 

I  hope,  dear  Jane,  to  embrace  you  all  in  a  little  more  than  a 
week,  and  in  the  meantime  let  sisterhood  and  girlhood  and  every- 
thing that  has  a  hood,  down  to  little  Scuppernong,  be  assured  of 
the  sympathy  and  love  of,  dear  Jane, 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  November  13,  1854. 

*  *  *  My  dear  sister,  I  am  in  great  trouble;  my  speech  for 
the  4th  December  is  not  yet  written,*  and  my  mind  is  not 
warmed  with  the  subject.  I  am  in  dread  about  it.  But  I  must 
shake  off  the  incubus  of  irresolution  and  set  to  work. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Columbia,  December  2,  1854. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  completed  the  draft  of  my  speech  before  I  left 
town.  I  am  to  deliver  it  on  Monday,  after  all  the  boys  have 
spoken.  It  will  not  be  long  and  if  it  was,  it  would  have  been 
shortened;  for,  after  seven  speeches  from  those  in  whom  the 


*This  was  the  address  he  had  been  asked  to  deliver  on  the  occasion  of  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  South  Carolina  College. 


300  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

audience  take  a  great  interest,  it  will  be  rather  difficult  to 
bespeak  attention  for  one  that  they  care  nothing  about. 

So,  Mary,  like  one  of  those  wise  virgins,  had  oil  in  her  lamp  to 
burn  a  whole  week,  under  Mr.  Baker's  preaching.  I  do  not 
wonder  that  you  found  him  impressive.  He  is  a  great  orator. 
It  is  a  gift.  In  my  speech  I  shall  celebrate  just  such  another — 
George  Davis — who  died  very  young. 

It  is  hardly  worth  mentioning  that  I  came  here  with  a  violent 
cold.  My  speech  in  the  Federal  Court  was  more  exhausting 
for  that  reason.  But  I  went,  after  court  adjourned,  to  the 
Governor's*  to  dine,  and  whether  it  was  the  wine  or  the  compli- 
ments, both  of  them  being  what  I  was  not  used  to,  at  least  for 
ten  days  before,  I  came  away  a  great  deal  better,  and  am  still 
improving.  Judge  Butler  was  one  of  the  party.  He  left  this 
morning.  He  is  still  as  good  company  as  ever,  tho'  he  looks  a 
good  deal  older  every  time  I  see  him.  As  soon  as  my  exercise  at 
the  College  is  over  I  am  going  home  and  expect  very  soon  to  be 
called  off  to  Washington.  Johnston,  in  the  absence  of  his 
partners,  carries  on  the  business  of  the  office  with  success.  It 
is  a  matter  of  doubt  whether  Dr.  Thornwell  will  be  allowed  to 
quit  the  College  under  a  year,  as  he  is  bound  to  give  a  year's 
notice.  We  are  very  unwilling  to  part  from  him,  not  knowing 
where  to  turn  when  he  leaves  us.  It  is  to  be  decided  tonight. 
Adieu;  love   to  Mary  and   the  children,  and,  dear  Jane,   the 

affection  is  yours  of 

Your  Brother. 

to  william  elliott 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  9  Deer.,  1854. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

There  is  a  Wind  quarrel,  growing  out  of  a  dispute  about  a 
bridge,  between  Dr.  DeSaussure  and  our  friend,  William  Hey- 
wardt  of  Pocotaligo,  a  neighbor  and  friend  of  your  son.  A 
young  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Hutson  is  likely  to  come  in  as  a 
combatant  and  he  and  Heyward  will  be  likely  to  fight,  if  friends 
do  not  intervene.  The  only  way  to  do  it  is,  to  apply  to  the 
Seconds,  making  a  call  on  them  to  submit  the  matter  in  debate 
to  a  board  of  honor.  Heyward's  friend  is  George  B.  Cuthbert. 
Who  is  likely  to  be  Hutson's,  I  don't  know.  If  you  would  get 
some  of  the  gentry  thinking  like  you,  to  interfere  with  you  and 
call  on  the  Seconds  strongly,  they  would  be  sure  to  obtemperate 
to  your  views  and  save  the  effusion  of  blood.  But  such  things 
can  only  be  done  by  men  of  weight  and  I  don't  know  anybody 
but  you,  who  could  in  that  region  assume  to  lead  in  such  a 


*Gov.  John  L.  Manning,  1852-1854. 

•jOn  account  of  his  irascibility  he  was  known  as  "Tiger  Bill." 


'James  Louis   Petigru  301 

course.  The  whole  quarrel  is  ridiculous.  Dr.  deSaussure  sued 
Heyward  for  his  horse,  which  shied  at  the  bridge  and  ruined 
some  of  his  legs.  Heyward  says  the  bridge  is  a  capital  bridge 
and  the  horse  notoriously  scary.  He,  planter  like,  took  no  notice 
of  the  Writ  and  the  case  was  tried  without  a  defence.  Such  a 
thing  always  breeds  ill  will;  taking  a  judgment  on  ex  parte  evi- 
dence is  sure  to  create  fresh  quarrels,  unless  the  defendant  meant 
to  submit  to  the  very  thing  which  the  plaintiff  wanted.  Hey- 
ward, in  consequence,  is  so  morbid,  that,  not  content  with 
talking  of  what  he  considered  a  mean  thing,  he  stuck  up  pla- 
cards about  deSaussure  and  Hutson,  his  witness.  Hence  the 
trouble.  I  know  that  I  am  taking  a  very  strange  step,  to  invite 
you  to  so  troublesome  a  part,  without  even  knowing  whether 
your  opinion  of  Mr.  H.  is  in  agreement  with  my  own.  But  in 
the  cause  of  benevolence,  some  risk  must  be  run,  if  a  body  would 
do  any  good  and  I  am  very  sure  you  will  make  all  allowance  for 
my  precipitancy.  The  standing  of  the  quarrel  between  Hey- 
ward and  Hutson  would  necessitate  a  settlement  all  round  and 
prevent  what  is  even  worse  than  a  duel — an  action  for  defam- 
ation of  character.  I  hope  that  you  are  at  home  and  enjoying 
this  fine  weather. 

Yours  truly, 

TO  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  14  December,  1854. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

I  can  not  sufficiently  express  the  thankfulness  that  I  feel,  in 
reading  your  letter  of  yesterday,  to  think  there  is,  at  least,  one 
man  of  heart,  to  interest  himself  about  what  concerns  a  fellow 
mortal,  though  it  concerns  him  in  no  other  way.  I  have  no 
doubt  that  your  intervention  will  be  efficient.  I  don't  wonder 
that  you  had  received  no  answer  yesterday,  for,  the  cartel 
had  not  been  exchanged.  You  understand,  my  friend,  W.  H., 
as  well  as  if  you  had  studied  his  life.  He  is,  in  tact,  a  live  speci- 
men of  the  genus  Planter,  with  many  robust  and  sterling  quali- 
ties, which  have  been  kept  obscured  by  the  solitary  life  of  people 
that  live  in  the  forest.  There  is  no  doubt  he  is  wrong  in  the 
invectives,  for  I  can  call  them  nothing  else,  into  which,  he  has 
been  provoked  by  losing  the  game  at  law  in  consequence  ot  very 
close  play.  But,  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  bring  Dr. 
deSaussure's  case  under  the  same  pacification  with  the  rest  ot  the 
quarrel  and  without  opening  the  Verdict,  for  tho'  he  wants  the 
Verdict  opened,  that  would  be  to  stir  the  embers  of  the  quarrel 
anew. 

*  *  *  By  the  way,  my  Address  or  Essay,  before  the  Col- 
lege, will  be  printed  and  you  will  see  a  great  deal  about  solidarity 


302  Ltje^  Letters  and  Speeches 

in  it.  Have  you  heard  of  our  friend  Grayson's  poem?*  It  is 
truly  something  surprising.  The  easy  flow  of  his  verses  would 
imply  a  long  proficiency  in  the  art  and  his  sylvan  and  aquatic 
scenes  are  truly  worthy  of  the  pastoral  wreath.  We  both  figure 
in  it  and  there  are  some  lines  which  will,  probably,  be  put  to  the 
credit  of  some  of  his  quondam  nullifying  friends.  I  would  be 
too  happy  to  spend  Christmas  or  any  holiday  with  you,  but,  on 
Saturday  morning,  I  take  the  cars  for  Washington,  to  argue  a 
case  in  the  Supreme  Court.  Wish  me  luck,  for,  much  depends 
on  it  for  the  future  of 

Your  friend, 

"Semi-Centennial  Celebration 

OF  THE 

South  Carolina  College." 

ORATION 

delivered  by 

Hon.  James  L.  Petigru. 

charleston,  s.  c. 

Walker  &  Evans,  Stationers  &  Printers 

1855 

When  Alexander  the  Great  complained  of  his  illustrious  mas- 
ter, for  having  exposed  philosophy  to  the  knowledge  of  the  vul- 
gar, he  uttered  a  sentiment  familiar  to  antiquity,  and  in  com- 
plete unison  with  the  spirit  of  the  age.  The  principle  of  exclus- 
ion pervaded  all  early  societies;  hence  distinctions  of  caste — of 
classes — of  orders  and  sects.  Even  superstition  had  erected  no 
bar  against  common  right;  opinion  in  some  degree,  supplied  the 
place  of  laws,  and  the  learned  who  considered  themselves  a  class, 
were  little  disposed  to  share  with  the  multitude  the  accomplish- 
ments by  which  they  were  honorably  distinguished.  Such  was 
the  spirit  of  antiquity,  and  such  the  way  of  thinking  in  the 
Middle  Ages.  But  since  the  revival  of  letters,  there  has  been  a 
steady  and  progressive  tendency,  to  a  more  liberal  view  of 
social  duty.  Society  is  thought  to  owe  more  to  its  members, 
and  individuals  are  taught  their  solidarity  in  the  duties  which 
unite  society.  Government  is  held  responsible  for  the  evils 
which  it  has  the  power  to  remove,  but  suffers  to  exist;  and  the 
duty  of  government  is  the  exponent  of  that  obligation  by  which 
all  the  members  of  society  are  bound  to  one  another. 

It  is  consoling  to  reflect  on  the  changes  which  have  been  oper- 
ated in  a  long  course  of  years  by  the  influence  of  this  principle. 
The  debtor,  the  lunatic,  and  the  criminal  have  felt  the  frequent 
influence  of  the  change. 


*"The  Hireling  and  Slave,"  John  Russell,  1854. 


James  Louis  Petigru  303 

Misfortune  is  no  longer  confounded  with  crime;  the  barbar- 
ous laws  that  submitted  the  debtor  to  the  cruelty  of  his  creditor, 
after  having  long  excited  the  abhorrence  of  mankind,  are  by 
general  consent  laid  aside.  The  sphere  of  charity  is  extended 
to  the  inmates  of  the  asylum;  and  force  is  restrained  even  against 
those  who  are  bereft  of  reason.  Nor  is  crime  itself  excluded  from 
the  pale  of  humanity.  For  ages  no  voice  was  raised  in  favor  of 
the  vanquished  and  the  weak,  except  in  Schools  or  Churches; 
but  now,  statesmen  have  learned  to  venerate  Humanity,  and  the 
people  to  fee!  for  the  rights  of  their  common  nature.  But 
nowhere  is  the  triumph  of  Humanity  more  signal  than  in  this, 
that  the  obligation  of  educating  the  people  is  now  freely  acknowl- 
edged. 

It  was  no  proof  of  narrow  bigotry  then  on  the  part  of  the 
magnanimous  Conqueror  and  Builder  of  cities,  to  consider 
philosophy  the  privilege  of  greatness;  and  ignorance  the  proper 
lot  of  all  who  were  not  raised  by  fortune  above  the  reach  of 
sordid  cares.  Such  was  the  sentiment  of  the  age  in  his  time; 
and  if  a  more  liberal  and  generous  way  of  thinking  characterizes 
the  opinions  of  rulers  in  the  present  day,  we  are  indebted  for  the 
change  to  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  which  we  live.  But  the  spirit 
of  the  age  itself  depends  no  little  on  the  state  of  education. 
Public  opinion  does  not  represent  the  ideas  of  the  majority;  for 
the  majority  is  made  up  of  individuals  who  do  not  think  alike. 
The  diversity  of  private  sentiment  is  endless  and  proverbial; 
but  public  opinion  is  something  definite  and  intelligible,  not  a 
mere  aggregation  of  inconsistent  things.  It  is  a  motion  pro- 
duced by  the  collision  of  opposing  forces — -a  spirit  distilled  from 
the  fermentation  of  various  elements  but  differing  from  them  all. 
And  the  spirit  of  the  age  represents  not  the  opinions  of  any  par- 
ticular portion  of  the  civilized  world;  but  the  general  tendency 
of  the  human  mind  at  a  particular  era.  But  education  is  the 
external  power  that  gives  activity  to  the  intellect,  which  pro- 
duces that  fermentation  of  the  mind  out  of  which  opinion  pro- 
ceeds. Therefore  the  spirit  of  the  age  is  modified  by  education 
and  an  improvement  in  education  is  not  only  a  positive  gain,  but 
an  evidence  of  general  progress — for  as  education  improves,  the 
spirit  of  the  age  will  partake  of  that  improvement. 

But  of  all  social  improvements,  the  greatest  is  the  diffusion  of 
light— the  increase  of  the  educated  class.  To  educate  is  to 
civilize — and  to  add  to  the  number  of  educated  persons,  is  to 
advance  the  boundaries  of  civilization.  To  educate  is  to  develop 
the  faculties  of  the  human  understanding;  and  to  extend  the 
blessings  of  education,  by  making  it  universal,  is  to  raise  the 
people  in  the  scale  of  being.  Who,  then,  can  doubt  that  it  is  a 
duty  to  educate  the  people,  or  deny  that  the  obligation  which 
this  duty  imposes  is  binding  on  the  high  and  low,  the  governors 
and  the  governed?     This  is  solidarity.     It  is  the  bright  side  of 


304  ^if^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

Democracy,  and  if  Egotism  and  Envy  could  be  chained  below, 
there  would  be  but  one  opinion  of  it. 

It  was  in  the  year  of  1801  that  the  initiative  was  taken  in  the 
first  Legislative  Act  for  founding  this  College.  The  period  is 
remarkable  as  corresponding  with  a  transfer  of  civil  power — 
with  a  revolution  that  changed  the  relations  of  the  parties  which 
then  divided — perhaps  to  some  small  degree  may  still  divide  the 
opinions  of  men — if  not  in  this,  at  least  in  other  States.  It  was 
in  a  House  of  Assembly,  where  the  victorious  party  held  yet  only 
a  divided  rule;  and  their  adversaries,  though  vanquished,  still 
kept  the  field;  that  this  great  measure  was  originated.  It  came 
like  the  last  will  and  testament  of  the  expiring  party;  and 
sounded  like  a  proclamation  of  the  conquerors,  announcing  the 
terms  granted  in  the  hour  of  victory.  It  is  fortunate  to  find 
hostile  parties  agreeing  in  a  great  principle.  Indeed  it  is  a  proud 
reflection  that  whatever  may  be  the  extravagance  or  madness  of 
party,  opposition  to  learning  is  no  instrument  of  popularity  in 
America. 

But  though  the  spirit  of  our  countrymen  is  too  high  for  an 
alliance  with  ignorance,  there  were  not  wanting  objections, 
both  popular  and  specious,  to  the  endowment  of  this  College  out 
of  the  public  Treasury.  The  ?mmediate  benefits  of  a  college  are 
received  by  those  only  who  are  educated  in  it;  the  number  of 
these  must  necessarily  be  few;  and  the  assistance  which  they 
derive  from  the  State,  is  a  species  of  Protection,  rendered  still 
more  invidious  by  the  fact,  that  it  is  in  a  great  measure  confined 
to  those  who  are  already  in  a  more  eligible  situation  than  the 
generality.  In  such  circumstances  the  opportunity  for  appeal- 
ing to  prejudice  was  too  favorable  to  be  neglected.  The  pittance 
wrung  from  the  hard  hand  of  reluctant  poverty  it  was  said,  was 
to  be  lavished  on  the  education  of  the  rich.  Those  who  were  in 
possession  of  the  advantages  of  education  were  to  levy  a  tax  on 
the  poor,  to  perpetuate  those  advantages  by  educating  their 
sons  at  the  public  expense.  The  majority  were  to  bear  their 
full  proportion  of  the  Burthen,  but  the  recompense  was  most 
unequally  distributed.  And  these  topics  might  be  urged  with 
more  show  of  reason,  because  there  was  then  no  provision  for 
common  education  by  means  of  Free  Schools.  It  was  hard 
that  the  rich  should  be  assisted  by  the  public  treasury  in  giving 
their  sons  an  education  suitable  to  their  situation  in  life;  while 
the  children  of  the  poor  were  taught  at  their  own  expense.  It 
was  strange,  that  the  State  should  come  to  the  aid  of  the  rich; 
and  leave  the  poor  unassisted  to  struggle  with  their  difficulties. 
With  that  class  of  politicians  who  think  that  the  public  welfare 
is  best  promoted  by  leaving  every  man  to  take  care  of  himself; 
and  with  all  those  who  disclaim  a  Solidarity  in  the  obligation  of 
the  State  to  its  members,  these  objections  might  have  had  great 


James  Louts  Petigru  305 

weight.  Let  us  do  justice  to  the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  the 
men  of  1801,  who  rejected  such  ungenerous  counsels. 

It  is  our  grateful  task  to  commemorate  the  virtues  of  our 
Founders — to  celebrate  the  triumph  of  liberal  principles  over  a 
narrow,  egotistic  policy  and  to  mingle  our  congratulations  over 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  day  when  South  Carolina  College 
welcomed  the  first  student  to  its  hospitable  halls.  If  any  doubts 
were  entertained  of  the  expediency  of  establishing  this  seat  of 
learning  at  the  public  expense  they  have  long  since  disappeared. 
No  one  now  doubts  that  it  is  the  duty  of  the  State  to  make  liberal 
provision  for  the  higher  branches  of  education.  Such  provision 
must  be  made  by  the  State,  because  such  establishments  are  too 
costly  for  individual  enterprise.  The  enterprise  of  individuals, 
sustained  by  the  prospect  of  commercial  profits,  may  scale  the 
mountain  barriers  that  vainly  interpose  their  heights  to  the 
invasion  of  the  Engineer  and  the  progress  of  the  Railroad.  But 
the  hills  of  Parnassus  are  proverbially  barren  and  literature 
tempts  no  capitalist  with  the  hope  of  dividends.  Without  the 
patronage  of  the  State  it  would  be  impossible  to  erect  the  costly 
buildings,  to  collect  the  learned  men  and  supply  all  the  materials 
requisite  for  a  seat  of  learning  adapted  to  a  high  and  compre- 
hensive seat  of  study.  And  if  it  be  asked  for  what  use  such  a 
college  is  wanted  the  answer  is  that  such  an  establishment  is 
necessary  to  the  progress  of  improvement.  Curiosity  is  the 
spring  of  literary  and  scientific  research.  It  is  excited  by  the 
knowledge  of  what  has  been  discovered — by  acquaintance  with 
the  methods  of  investigation — by  emulation  and  the  inter- 
course of  kindred  minds.  It  is  in  colleges  that  these  causes  are 
in  full  operation.  They  stimulate  activity,  keep  pace  with  the 
improvements  of  the  age  and  furnish  inquiring  minds  with  the 
means  of  further  progress.  It  is  a  law  of  our  nature  that,  if 
society  be  not  progressive,  it  will  decline.  Colleges,  therefore, 
are  institutions  of  necessity,  and  where  they  answer  the  purposes 
for  which  they  are  founded  amply  repay  the  generous  patronage 
of  the  public,  although  they  add  nothing  to  the  stock  of  material 
wealth. 

Fifty  years  have  passed  and  we  have  crossed,  for  the  first  time, 
the  threshold  of  the  new  Hall,  where  the  future  anniversaries 
of  this  College  are  to  be  celebrated.  The  old  chapel  and  the 
early  days  of  this  institution  will  henceforth  be  invested  with  a 
sort  of  historical  interest.  When  we  survey  the  flowing  river  we 
are  prompted  by  a  natural  curiosity  to  know  from  what  distant 
springs  it  takes  its  source,  and  I  revert  from  this  splendid  dome 
to  the  Incunabula  of  our  College  with  more  pleasure,  because  it 
affords  the  opportunity  of  rendering  the  poor  tribute  of  posthum- 
ous applause  to  the  memory  of  its  first  president,  my  revered 
master. 

Jonathan  Maxcy  exerted  no  little  influence  on  the  character 


306  ^(/'^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  the  youth  of  his  day  and  his  name  is  never  to  be  mentioned 
by  his  disciples  without  reverence.  He  had  many  eminent 
quahfications  for  his  office.  His  genius  was  aesthetic;  per- 
suasion flowed  from  his  lips  and  his  eloquence  diffused  over 
every  subject  the  bright  hues  of  a  warm  imagination.  He  was 
deeply  imbued  with  classical  learning  and  the  human  mind 
divided  his  heart  with  the  love  of  polite  literature.  With  pro- 
found piety,  he  was  free  from  the  slightest  taint  of  bigotry  or 
narrowness.  Early  in  life  he  had  entered  into  the  ministry, 
under  sectarian  banners,  but  though  he  never  resiled  from  the 
creed  which  he  had  adopted — so  catholic  was  his  spirit — so 
genial  his  soul  to  the  inspirations  of  faith,  hope  and  charity — 
that,  whether  in  the  chair  or  the  pulpit,  he  never  seemed  to  us 
less  than  an  apostolic  teacher.  Never  will  the  charm  of  his 
eloquence  be  erased  from  the  memory  on  which  its  impression 
has  once  been  made.  His  elocution  was  equally  winning  and 
peculiar.  He  spoke  in  the  most  deliberate  manner;  his  voice 
was  clear  and  gentle;  his  action  composed  and  quiet;  yet  no  man 
had  such  command  over  the  noisy  sallies  of  youth.  His  pres- 
ence quelled  every  disorder.  The  most  riotous  offender  shrunk 
from  the  reproof  of  that  pale  brow  and  intellectual  eye.  The 
reverence  that  attended  him  stilled  the  progress  of  disaffection, 
and  to  him  belonged  the  rare  power — exercised  in  the  face  of 
wondering  Europe  by  Lamartine — of  quelling  by  persuasion  the 
spirit  of  revolt. 

The  bachelor's  degree  was  conferred,  for  the  first  time,  in 
1806 — and  then  upon  one  student,  Anderson  Crenshaw,  the 
Protagonist  of  this  school.  He  made  his  solitary  curriculum 
without  an  associate,  and  thereby  gave  an  example  of  indepen- 
dence which  accorded  well  with  the  integrity  of  his  mind. 

May  it  ever  be  characteristic  of  our  school  to  pursue  the  path 
of  honor,  even  if  it  be  solitary.  May  the  man  whom  this  College 
enrolls  among  her  sons  ever  retain  the  firmness  to  stand  alone 
when  duty  and  conscience  are  on  his  side.  Nor  was  our  pro- 
tagonist unworthy  of  these  anticipations.  He  was  elevated  to 
the  Chancery  Bench  in  Alabama,  and  when  he  occupied  the 
judgment  seat  we  may  be  sure  that  the  balance  of  Justice  was 
never  disturbed  by  a  sinister  influence. 

The  list  of  graduates  rose  the  next  year  to  four,  and  in  1808 
a  numerous  class  increased  the  reputation  of  the  College,  more 
by  their  abilities  than  by  their  numbers.  In  that  constellation 
was  one  bright  star  which  was  only  shown  to  the  earth  and  then 
set  prematurely,  but  which  ought  not  to  be  forgotten  if  the 
memory  of  virtue  is  entitled  to  live.  When  I  look  on  the  place 
once  familiar  to  his  voice  Imagination  invests  the  scene  with  the 
presence  of  George  Davis,  such  as  he  was  in  youth — in  health 
— the  pride  of  the  Faculty,  the  Monitor  and  Example  of  the 
school.     When  he  was  to  speak  no  tablets  were  needed  to  record 


James  Louis  Petigru  307 

the  absent — every  student  was  In  his  place.  It  is  a  traditionary 
opinion  that  the  orator  is  the  creature  of  art.  Pacta  /uiscl/ur, 
orator ^L  But  those  who  heard  the  youthful  Davis  would  go 
away  with  a  different  impression.  The  maxim,  indeed,  does  not 
deserve  assent  further  than  this,  that  when  the  Orator  has  to 
deal  with  the  actual  affairs  of  life  he  must,  to  persuade  and  con- 
vince, be  master  of  all  the  details  of  his  subject,  often  requiring 
great  minuteness  and  variety  of  knowledge,  the  fruit  of  sedulous 
labor  and  attentive  study,  whereas,  the  poet  addresses  himself 
to  those  sentiments  and  emotions  characteristic  of  our  common 
nature  which  are  revealed  by  the  faculty  of  consciousness  and 
self-examination.  But  Davis  was  already  an  Orator.  Before 
he  began  tcj  speak,  his  audience  was  rendered  attentive  by  his 
noble  countenance,  in  which  the  feelings  of  his  soul  were  expres- 
sively portrayed.  In  language  pure  and  flowing,  equally  free 
from  rant  or  meanness,  he  poured  out  generous  sentiments  or 
pursued  the  line  of  clear  and  methodical  argument.  To  gifts 
so  rare  was  joined  the  utmost  sweetness  of  temper,  and  his  man- 
ners were  as  amiable  and  his  conduct  as  free  from  eccentricity 
as  if  he  had  been  a  stranger  to  the  inspirations  of  genius.  Early 
in  his  senior  year  he  withdrew  from  College,  and  before  the 
wheels  of  time  had  ushered  in  the  day  for  conferring  degrees  the 
news  that  George  Davis  was  no  more  fell  like  a  chill  on  the 
hearts  of  his  fellow-students.  They  thought  of  the  legends  of 
Cleobis  and  Biton,  as  embodying  a  sentiment  true  to  the  feelings 
of  nature,  and  owned  that  the  grave  of  one  so  bright,  so  blame- 
less and  so  young,  must  have  often  suggested  the  thought  that 
it  is  not  to  the  favorites  of  Heaven  that  long  life  is  granted. 
Nearly  fifty  years  have  passed  since  the  grave  closed  on  all  that 
was  mortal  of  George  Davis,  and  few  now  remain  that  ever  felt  the 
grasp  of  his  cordial  hand,  but  many  long  years  may  pass  before 
tears  will  flow  for  one  so  bountifully  endowed  or  society  sustain 
an  equal  loss. 

In  strong  contrast,  within  the  same  group — to  memory's 
view — stands  the  robust  frame  of  Nathaniel  Alcock  Ware. 
His  intellect  was  like  a  fortress  built  upon  a  rock;  the  flowers  of 
fancy  grew  not  in  the  shade  of  its  battlements.  The  pursuits  of 
literature  did  not  satisfy  the  cravings  of  a  mind  like  his,  which 
loved  to  grapple  with  subjects  that  required  the  strength  of  his 
herculean  arm.  His  memory  was  capacious  of  the  most  multi- 
farious nomenclature  and  science  was  congenial  to  his  taste.  In 
college  exercises  he  uniformly  outran  the  professor,  and  when 
the  class  was  entering  on  a  new  study  he  was  preparing  to  quit 
it,  or  was  already  engaged  in  exploring  some  more  distant  field. 
Nor  was  his  mind  less  discriminating  than  apprehensive,  and 
the  mass  of  information  with  which  his  memory  was  stored  was 
readily  reduced  to  order  and  method  by  the  strength  of  his 
judgment.     Neither  did   he  lack   the   kindlier  affections,   and 


308  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

though  he  scorned  the  flowers  of  fancy  his  heart  was  susceptible 
to  friendship.  Whether  from  the  neglect  of  those  studies  which 
are  most  proper  to  secure  for  one's  sense  a  favorable  reception 
" delectatione  aliqua  allicere  lectorem"  or  from  indifference 
to  popular  arts,  he  did  not  make  on  the  public  an  impression  in 
proportion  to  his  power  or  the  judgment  of  his  fellow  students. 
And  he  that  would  have  guided  with  a  steady  hand  the  helm  of 
State  was  confined,  with  a  solitary  exception,  to  a  private  sta- 
tion. And  those  powers  that  would  have  regulated  the  finances 
of  an  empire  or  organized  the  march  of  Armies  were  limited  in 
their  operation  to  the  acquisition  and  management  of  a  colossal 
fortune. 

Among  those  now  no  more,  but  then  the  pride  of  the  College, 
who  would  fail  to  recognize  the  large  figure  of  Charles  Dewitt, 
radiant  with  youth,  and  sedate  with  reflection.''  The  dignity  of 
manhood  marked  his  steps  and  the  warmth  of  youth  animated 
his  conversation.  By  his  fortune  placed  above  the  care  of 
money,  by  the  elevation  of  his  mind  above  the  allurements  of 
idleness  or  dissipation,  he  seemed  a  youthful  sage,  neither  ascetic 
nor  devoted  to  pleasure,  cultivating  knowledge  for  its  own  sake 
and  cherishing  virtue  as  its  own  reward.  In  his  case  imagination 
could  easily  anticipate  the  work  of  time  and  conceive  of  the 
youth  already  grave  beyond  his  years,  as  surrounded  with  the 
honors  of  mature  age,  and  then  the  image  would  suggest  the 
principal  figure  in  the  glowing  fines  of  the  poet: 

"Ac,  veluti,  magno  in  populo  quum  saepe  coorta  est 
Seditio,  saevitque  animis  ignobile  vulgus; 
Jamque  faces  et  saxa  volant;  furer  arma  ministrat; 
Turn  pietate  gravem  ac  mentis,  si  forte  virum  quem 
Conspexere,  silent;  arrectisque  auribus  adstant; 
Ille  regit  dictis  animos,  et  pectora  mulcet;" 

But  he  was  not  destined  to  see  that  day  and  an  early  death 
deprived  the  State  of  one  that  seemed  to  be  born  for  a  part  so 
noble  and  not  unfrequently  needed. 

Nor  in  this  retrospective  view  would  it  be  possible  to  omit  the 
most  careless  of  students,  the  most  ingenious  of  men — Charles 
Stevens — absent-minded,  forgetful  of  College  bell  or  College 
exercise,  but  never  at  fault  in  detecting  a  sophism  or  weaving 
the  chain  of  argument.  In  after  times,  when  he  would  rise  in 
the  Legislature,  on  some  knotty  point  of  parliamentary  or  con- 
stitutional law,  the  absence  of  all  ornament  of  speech  or  gesture 
and  of  all  attempts  at  the  arts  by  which  an  audience  is  flattered, 
could  not  prevent  him  from  being  listened  to  with  profound 
attention.  No  man  wielded  a  keener  dialectic;  the  blade 
glittered  to  the  eye,  but  the  weapon  was  held  in  a  harmless  hand. 
Had  he  been  bent  on  cutting  his  way  to  distinction  by  subvert- 
ing the  existing  order  of  things  the  social  fabric  would  have  had 


James  Louis  Petigru  309 

no  more  formidable  adversary.  His  dialectic  would  have 
hardly  been  resisted  by  any  establishment,  because  all  things 
mortal  contain  some  error,  and  to  the  keen  logician  every  weak 
place  furnishes  a  point  of  assault  and  an  opening  to  the  enemy. 
But  Stevens  was  conservative — the  severity  of  his  logic  was 
tempered  by  the  mildness  of  his  disposition.  He  lived  in  peace, 
which  he  loved,  and  died  surrounded  by  affectionate  friends, 
who  admired  his  genius  but  valued  more  the  qualities  of  his 
heart. 

Nor  should  Waring  be  forgotten,  already  skilled  in  the 
knowledge  of  human  character.  His  observant  spirit  naturally 
led  him  to  the  study  of  medicine,  in  which  he  rose  to  high  and 
merited  distinction  in  Savannah.  Nor  the  noble-minded 
DuPont,  of  kindred  race,  but  of  warmer  temperament,  who  also 
chose  the  path  of  medicine,  but  was  too  soon  removed  to  reap 
the  honors,  civil  and  professional,  which  he  was  so  well  qualified 
to  win.  Nor  Miller,  even  then  remarkable  for  the  talent  which 
afterwards  raised  him  to  the  highest  distinctions  in  the  State. 
Nor  Gill,  whose  early  death  deprived  society  of  all  that  might 
be  expected  from  his  hardy  sense  and  constant  application. 
Nor  must  we  forget  the  leaders  of  the  class — the  bland  Murphy 
and  the  inflexible  Gregg.  They  were  the  real  students,  who, 
like  true  soldiers,  never  forgot  the  rules  of  discipline,  but  studied 
for  the  first  honors  and  won  them  gallantly. 

And  could  I  forget  thee,  the  soul  of  honor  and  the  joy  of  friend- 
ship, George  Butler — the  most  gallant  of  men,  the  most  genial 
of  spirits!  The  profession  of  arms  well  accorded  with  his 
martial  character,  and  though  his  plume  was  not  destined  to 
wave  in  the  battle's  storm  and  the  fortune  of  war  confined  his 
service  to  a  barren  field,  yet  no  more  devoted  son  rallied  to  the 
flag,  under  which  he  would  have  been  proud  to  die  for  his  country. 
Nor  does  the  trump  of  Fame  bear  to  the  winds  the  echoes  of  a 
name  where  the  soldier's  Zeal  was  more  gracefully  blended  with 
the  tenderness  of  a  gentle  heart. 

But  the  youth  instinct  with  great  ideas,  the  Scholar,  the  Bard, 
the  Genius  of  the  school,  remains.  How  shall  I  describe  thee, 
William  Harper?  Careless,  simple  and  negligent,  he  lived 
apart  in  the  world  of  his  own  genius — his  imagination  brought 
all  things  human  and  divine  within  the  scope  of  his  intellectual 
vision.  For  him  it  was  equally  easy  to  learn  or  to  produce.  It 
was  not  to  be  expected  that  such  a  mind  could  find  occupation 
in  any  enforced  routine.  He  was  no  candidate  for  the  honors  in 
College,  though  he  received  a  distinguished  appointment,  in 
fulfilling  which  he  delivered  a  poem,  almost  an  improvisation, 
on  the  death  of  Montgomery.  It  is  very  common  to  underrate 
the  imagination  as  an  element  of  power.  It  is  imparted  in  a 
high  degree  to  but  few,  and  the  opinion  of  the  majority  proceeds 
from  imperfect  and  superficial  knowledge  of  the  subject.     Works 


310  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  the  imagination  are  measured  by  the  standard  of  utility  and 
condemned  by  common  minds  as  frivolous.  The  character  of 
genius  suffers  in  the  same  way  when  tried  by  the  estimate  of 
prudence.  Nor  can  it  be  denied  that,  for  common  affairs 
originality  and  invention  are  of  little  value,  nor  that  the  finest 
parts  must  yield  the  palm  to  the  intrinsic  value  of  good  sense. 
Fancy,  Imagination,  Memory — nay.  Reason  itself — are  of  little 
avail  without  the  presence  and  moderation  of  that  sober  guard- 
ian. But  the  great  mistake  of  the  common  judgment  is  to 
suppose  that  between  genius  and  good  sense  there  is  some 
principle  of  opposition.  The  very  reverse  is  true;  good  sense  is 
essential  to  genius,  and  the  example  of  William  Harper  is  a 
striking  corroboration  of  the  truth.  He  was  a  true  poet;  of 
imagination  all  compact,  and  if  he  had  given  the  reins  to  his 
genius  would  certainly  have  devoted  himself  to  the  Lyric  Muse. 
But  ''dura  res  et — noiitas" — the  exigencies  of  common  life  and 
the  little  encouragement  bestowed  on  literature  determined 
otherwise,  and  he  embraced  the  legal  profession.  How  com- 
pletely he  refuted  the  idea  that  an  imaginative  or  aesthetic  mind 
is  ill  adapted  to  the  severest  legal  studies  is  known  to  all  South 
Carolina.  His  judgments  contained  in  Bailey,  Hill  and  the 
later  reporters,  from  1830  to  1847,  are  an  enduring  monument 
of  his  judicial  fame,  and  his  defence  of  the  South  on  the  relations 
existing  between  two  races  is  so  profound  in  conception,  so 
masterly  in  execution,  as  to  cause  a  wide-spread  regret  that  his 
pen  was  not  more  frequently  employed  in  philosophical  investi- 
gation. 

The  distinguished  men  that  have  proceeded  from  this  place 
furnish  the  best  evidence  of  the  successful  cultivation  of  learn- 
ing in  this  College.  If  we  were  to  follow  the  stream  of  time  we 
should  meet  with  many  a  name  to  prompt  the  eulogy  of  departed 
worth,  but  I  forbear.  Though  the  ornaments  of  succeeding 
years  might  claim  the  tribute  of  friendship  or  challenge  the 
praise  of  a  more  eloquent  tongue,  those  contemporary  portraits 
are  reflected  in  the  glass  of  memory,  and  later  years  come  not 
within  the  field  of  its  vision.  Rather  is  it  within  the  purpose 
of  this  celebration  to  inquire  how  far  the  results  have  corres- 
ponded with  the  expectations  of  the  friends  of  the  College  and 
what  hopes  may  reasonably  be  entertained  of  the  future. 

As  to  the  past,  there  is  much  ground  for  gratulation  in  the 
effect  which  this  College  has  had  in  harmonizing  and  uniting 
the  State.  In  1804  sectional  jealousies  were  sharpened  to  bit- 
terness and  there  was  as  little  unity  of  feeling  between  the  upper 
and  lower-country  as  between  any  rival  States  of  the  Union. 
Although  the  suppression  of  such  jealousies  is  in  part  attribu- 
table to  the  removal  of  some  anomalies  in  the  Constitution, 
much  the  largest  share  in  the  same  good  work  is  due  to  the 
attractive   force  of  a  common   education.     To   the   insensible 


James  Louis  Petigru  311 

operations  of  the  same  influence  must  also  be  referred  the  liberal 
provision  that  has  been  made  for  general  education  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  free  schools.  And  if  the  benefits  of  such  schools 
have  not  yet  equalled  the  full  measure  of  usefulness  expected 
from  the  system  the  failure  arises  from  peculiar  circumstances, 
and  afl^ords  no  just  cause  for  discouragement.  Wherever  there 
is  a  resident  Proprietary  equal  to  the  duty  of  their  position  these 
schools  have  not  failed  to  answer  the  purpose  of  diffusing  the 
elements  of  learning.  Nor  let  the  limited  education  of  the  poor 
be  contemned.  It  is  much  more  the  spirit  of  instruction  than 
the  amount  which  is  imparted  that  interests  the  State.  By 
the  instruction  received  in  the  most  backward  school  the  learner 
is  put  in  communication  with  a  higher  degree  of  learning.  It  is 
the  natural  order  of  things  to  proceed  by  steps,  and  if  this 
gradation  do  not  exist  in  the  social  fabric  it  is  a  serious  defect. 
The  influence  of  the  college,  like  the  ambient  air,  should  extend 
on  all  sides — upwards  to  the  regions  of  discovery  and  downwards 
to  the  smallest  tenement  of  rudimental  instruction.  In  this 
way  the  blessings  of  civilization  are  extended  by  a  sound  and 
healthy  state  of  public  opinion,  and  if  we  compare  the  progress 
which  the  State  has  made  since  1804  we  shall  have  no  reason  to 
withhold  our  assent  from  the  conclusion  that  the  hopes  with 
which  the  College  was  inaugurated  have  not  been  disappointed. 

As  to  the  future,  we  trust  that  the  College  will  be  true  to  its 
mission  as  the  nurse  of  an  enlightened  public  opinion.  From 
this  source  should  issue  not  only  the  rays  of  knowledge,  but  the 
light  which  disperses  the  mists  of  prejudice.  Knowledge  is  a 
step  in  the  improvement  of  society,  but  it  is  not  the  only  desid- 
eratum. Very  pernicious  errors  may  prevail  in  the  midst  of 
much  intellectual  activity  and  opinions  long  discarded  by  culti- 
vated minds  may  still  exert  a  widespread  and  pernicious  influ- 
ence. In  eradicating  such  weeds  from  the  minds  of  the  young 
the  public  Instructor  has  an  arduous  duty  in  which  every 
encouragement  is  to  be  given  to  his  eiforts.  It  is  in  the  college 
that  the  reformation  of  popular  errors  should  begin. 

F.ducation  is  the  hand-maid  of  civilization,  which  includes 
morals  and  manners  as  well  as  learning.  But  it  opinions  which 
reason  condemns,  find  shelter  in  colleges,  where  shall  we  look 
for  improvement  to  begin?  Education  is  valuable  to  society, 
because  it  improves  the  moral  sense  and  develops  the  energies 
of  the  mind.  The  fruit  of  such  culture  should  be  shown  by  an 
exemption  from  popular  error  or  local  prejudice.  When  the 
College  is  but  the  echo  of  the  popular  voice,  there  is  room  to 
surmise  that  the  culture  has  been  neglected,  or  that  the  Pro- 
fessor has  labored  upon  an  ungrateful  soil.  A  liberal  education 
implies  a  superiority  to  common  errors;  and  deep  regret  must 
follow  the  disappointment  of  that  expectation.  But  it  is  still 
more  deplorable  when  the  college  becomes  a  place  of  refuge  for 


312  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

exploded  fallacies,  among  which  none  can  be  more  pernicious 
than  that  false  sentiment  that  resistance  to  authority  is  an 
honorable  impulse.  Now  Fidelity  is  the  very  bond  of  Honor 
and  lends  its  sanction  to  all  the  demands  to  lawful  authority. 
To  promise  and  fail  to  perform,  is  always  a  reproach;  and  if  the 
default  be  wilful,  it  entails  the  heavier  penalty  of  disgrace.  But 
lawful  authority  imposes  obligations  of  equal  weight  with  those 
which  are  clothed  with  a  promise.  To  set  against  such  obli- 
gations, considerations  of  personal  will,  interest,  or  opinion,  is 
characteristic  of  sordid  egotism  and  inconsistent  with  the  first 
principles  of  Honor.  A  liberal  education  implies  a  keen  sensi- 
bility to  every  duty  which  Fidelity  enjoins;  and  over  the  portal 
of  every  College  should  be  inscribed  in  letters  of  gold.  Obedi- 
ence is  Honorable. 

And  now  considering  the  feeble  beginnings  of  1804,  when  the 
course  of  the  Senior  year  would  hardly  be  considered  in  these 
days  a  qualification  for  the  Sophomore — when  the  whole  array 
of  Faculty  consisted  of  three  Professors,  and  the  Philosophical 
apparatus  of  one  telescope — and  comparing  that  state  of  things 
with  the  present  numerous  and  learned  Staff — with  the  well 
stored  library,  copious  Instrumentality  and  convenient  Halls 
of  the  present  day — it  is  equally  just — to  applaud  the  generous 
policy  of  the  State;  and  to  utter  the  heartfelt  vow — that  the 
hundredth  anniversary  of  this  institution  may  confirm  the  exam- 
ple of  past  usefulness,  and  justify  the  hopes  of  future  progress. 


James  Louis  Petigru  313 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

1855 

Argument  Before  the  Supreme  Court  at  Washington; 
Has  a  Mind  to  Take  up  Lecturing;  Marriage  of  Mr. 
Dorn;    Captain    Thomas    Petigru    and    the    Retiring 


Board 


TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 


Charleston,  January  17,  1855. 

*  *  *  I  was  so  much  indisposed  in  Washington  that  I  had 
barely  health  to  go  through,  my  argument,  and  did  not  acquit 
myself  near  as  well  as  I  ought  to  have  done.     *     *     * 

Adieu, 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

February  27,  1855. 

*  *  *  Chancellor  Wardlaw  holds  Court  every  day.  I 
confess  the  practice  is  becoming  less  and  less  to  my  liking.  I 
have  a  mind  to  take  to  lecturing.  I  would  rather  undertake  to 
teach  the  boys  than  the  Judges. 

Johnston  [Pettigrew]  continues  to  maintain  his  reputation. 
His  last  feat  was  by  astonishing  Mr.  Memminger  and  Mr. 
Tupper  with  a  mathematical  solution  in  five  minutes  of  a  sum 
that  they  thought  would  take  a  week. 

Adieu.     Love  to  Mary  and  Minnie. 

Your  Brother, 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Badwell,  20  August,  1855. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  The  great  subject  of  conversation  in  the  Range  is 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  Dorn.  The  "Enfau"  was  worthy  of  the 
master  of  a  gold  mine.  Tables  of  fabulous  extent  groaning 
under  loads  of  food,  such  as  rejoiced  the  guests  in  heroic  times, 
were  surrounded  by  an  admiring  throng.  They  strained  their 
eyes  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  generous  host  and  his  lair  bride, 
and  when  she  unveiled  and  entered  the  festal  bower  on  the  arm 
of  her  spouse,  Billy  Patterson,  the  master  of  ceremonies,  cried: 


314  J^if^->  Letters  and  Speeches 

"The  show  is  over  folks,  fall  to,"  and  the  destruction  of  viands 
commenced.  Fame  speaks  of  20  bullocks  and  80  sheep  slaugh- 
tered for  the  feast,  but  is  silent  as  to  ale  or  generous  drink, 
though  I  can  not  suppose  that  the  Maine  Law  governed  on  the 
joyful  occasion.  Nothing  has  happened  equal  to  it  since  the 
wedding  of  Robin  Hood,  celebrated  in  an  English  ballad,  which 
your  Mamma  has  often  heard  and  if  you  could  prevail  on  her 
to  sing  it,  you  would  then  have  the  opportunity  of  comparing 
the  exploits  of  the  old  time  and  those  of  the  Range.  With  this 
disadvantage  however,  against  the  Moderns,  that  the  ballad  was 
no  doubt  composed  by  a  witness  who  was  inspired  by  the  scene 
in  which  he  played  a  part,  whereas,  my  description  is  drawn  from 
hearsay.  Willie  divides  his  time  between  outdoor  amusements 
and  the  Waverly  Novels,  of  which  he  is  a  diligent  reader.  I 
suppose  you  are  preparing  for  your  Buncombe  expedition.  The 
next  time  I  hope  you  will  take  Badwell  on  your  way,  for  they 
have  actually  commenced  work  on  the  Valley  Railroad,  and  as 
it  is  true  to  a  proverb,  that  ce  nest  que  le  premier  pas  qui  coute^ 
I  hope  that  we  shall  see  the  locomotive  before  long,  within  a  mile 
of  us.  Make  my  dutiful  salutations  to  Ma  and  Grandmother 
and  to  all  the  family  circle,  not  omitting  Henry  and  believe  me 
dear  Sue,  affectionately 

Your  Father. 

On  hearing  that  his  brother  was  dropped  from  the  service  by 
the  naval  board  then  sitting  in  Washington,  Petigru  wrote  as 
follows : 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  September  27,  1855. 
My  dear  Jane: 

Little  did  I  think  when  I  left  you  last  Friday  morning  what 
a  storm  was  going  to  burst  on  our  heads — our  devoted  heads. 
The  suddenness  of  the  attack  and  the  mortal  violence  of  the 
blow  are  more  than  human  patience  can  bear.  It  is  the  only 
thing  that  I  can  think  of.  It  is  before  me  every  moment,  and 
I  feel  sometimes  like  the  person  in  the  play,  who  is  shocked  to 
think  how  patiently  he  endures  the  wrongs  that  are  heaped  upon 
him  with  impunity.  But  it  is  impossible  to  stand  still;  we 
must  bring  the  thing  before  Congress  and  expose  the  fraud  and 
duplicity  of  the  board,  who  against  their  own  sense  and  judg- 
ment, have  pronounced  him  inefficient  because  they  do  not  like 
him.  Mr.  Shubrick  would  not  like  to  sail  with  him  and,  there- 
fore, he  is  inefficient.  I  have  written  to  him  once  only.  I 
suppose  you  have?  I  almost  reproach  myself  for  not  having 
set  off,  or  rather  kept  on,  to  Washington  as  soon  as  I  heard  it, 


James  Louis  Petigrii  315 

for  the  horrid  fact  came  to  my  knowledge  on  the  car  on  Friday 
night  by  a  paper  that  had  been  lent  me  in  Augusta.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

Many  of  the  older  officers,  Captain  Petigru  among  them,  had 
served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  it  was  shameful  to  drop  them  in 
their  old  age  without  even  giving  them  an  opportunity  to  answer 
to  any  charges  that  might  be  made  against  them. 

Mr.  Petigru  felt  the  injustice  keenly  and  made  every  effort 
in  his  power  to  have  his  brother  reinstated,  but  it  was  all  with- 
out avail.  He  probably  would  have  succeeded,  but,  as  will  be 
shown  later,  Captain  Petigru  died  before  the  wrong  was  righted. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  October  5,  1855. 
*  *  *  If  I  could  get  the  printers  to  publish  Spratt's  com- 
ments on  the  conduct  of  the  board  it  would  open  the  eyes  of  the 
community  so  far  as  they  are  able  to  understand  what  they 
read.  The  Evening  News  (Cunningham's  paper)  has  dis- 
cussed the  case  by  name  and  our  friend  Grayson  has  sounded  the 
alarm  in  a  piece  exposing  the  unconstitutional  and  illegal  acts 
of  the  board  without  reserve.  It  is  to  come  out  in  all  our  papers 
tomorrow,  so  probably  you  may  see  it.  I  have  written  to  Orr 
and  intend  to  do  the  same  by  Keitt  and  James  Jones,  of  Ten- 
nessee, the  Senator.  It  seems  to  me  that  Congress  will  be 
obliged  to  restore  every  man  that  has  been,  in  the  choice  lan- 
guage of  the  board,  dropped,  and  that  they  will  be  obliged  to 
own  that  towards  the  Captain  they  are  inexcusable.  *  *  * 
Speaking  of  happiness,  a  thing  rare  in  our  family,  what  do  you 
say  to  Marshal  Pellessier  and  the  allies  and  the  tall  of  Sebasta- 
pool?  I  sympathize  with  the  Marshal  and  his  friends  entirely, 
and  am  very  glad  the  fortress  has  fallen  and  hope  the  Russians 
will  be  made  to  respect  the  rights  of  a  weak  neighbor. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  December  27,  1855. 
I  feel  undeserving  of  your  kind  letter,  written  as  long  ago  as 
the  12th,  in  which  you  tell  me  of  everything  except  your  little 
woodpecker  of  a  granddaughter;  but  of  her  and  her  red  head  I 
hear  from  everybody.  You  were  right  to  call  her  Jane,  but 
with  this  trait  of  resemblance  she  ought  to  be  not  only  Jane,  but 
Jane  Caroline,  after  her  dear,  dear  great  grandmother.  I  hope 
she   will    have    as   much   spirit    and    a    happier   temperament. 


316  -^i/^^j  Letters  a?jd  Speeches 

*  *  *  I  went  to  Columbia  and  worked  hard  and  helped  John 
A.  Calhoun  to  work  for  the  railroad — our  railroad — and  we 
carried  our  point  so  far  as  to  get  the  charter  amended  for  the 
benefit  of  our  Augusta  connection,  and  now  we  begin  to  have 
hopes  of  getting  so  strong  a  subscription  in  Georgia  as  to  start 
the  road  in  earnest.     [The  Savannah  Valley  Railroad.] 

I  went  to  Washington  from  Columbia  and  met  Tom  there 
and  stayed  a  whole  week,  consulting,  inquiring,  and  stirring  up 
friends.  It  certainly  was  not  in  my  way  to  see  the  friends  of 
the  navy  board,  and  I  may  have  found  none  because  I  did  not 
look  for  them,  but  I  can  safely  say  that  no  person  that  conversed 
with  me  undertook  to  justify  that  junta  or  celebrate  their  dark 
deeds.  I  was  greatly  pleased  with  Lieutenant  [Matthew  Fon- 
taine] Maury,  a  man  of  high  and  generous  spirit,  who  sees  the 
question  from  the  true  point  of  view  and  is  able  to  show  to  the 
members  of  that  board,  one  and  all,  that  he  is  not  their  superior 
in  mathematics  only.  The  wretched  creatures  reduced  him 
because,  being  a  scholar,  he  could  not  be  a  sailor,  so  they  pre- 
tend, but  they  will  be  very  sick  of  the  argument  before  he  is  done 
with  them.  It  was  deemed  most  prudent  by  our  Senatorial 
friends  and  others  to  wait  for  the  President's  message.  For 
there  is  a  rumor  that  the  President  intends  to  recommend  mod- 
ifications, viz.,  that  he  means  to  reinstate  such  as  he  thinks  ought 
to  be  reinstated  by  nominating  them  to  their  own  places.  It 
seems  very  foolish  to  dismiss  or  disrate  officers  for  the  mere 
purpose  and  with  the  intent  of  restoring  them,  but  there  is  no 
telling  before  the  event  what  some  people  can  do.  Therefore, 
I  acquiesced  in  this  suggestion  and  left  the  Captain  there.  He 
came  home  on  Saturday  and  brings  no  additional  news  besides 
what  the  papers  show,  that  memorials  begin  to  flow  in,  not- 
withstanding the  idea  that  the  President  ought  to  be  heard  from 
first.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 


James  Louis  Petigru  317 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

1856 

Marriage  of  Miss  Elliott;  Oration  at  Erskine  College, 
Due  West,  S.  C;  Mrs.  Petigru  at  Flat  Rock;  First 
President  of  S.  C.  Historical  Society;  Magrath- 
Taber  Duel 

to  WILLIAM  ELLIOTT 

Charleston,  15  April,  1856. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

If  I  was  not  tied  down  to  the  routine  of  the  Law,  I  would 
certainly  make  one  in  the  happy  group  that  the  altar  of  Hymen 
will  attract  to  your  hospitable  roof  on  Thursday.*  But  it  is  as 
vain  to  struggle  against  professional  ties  as  against  those  of 
Hymen,  himself,  and  I  must  content  myself  with  "the  bare 
irnagination  of  a  feast,"  instead  of  offering  you,  in  person,  my 
congratulations  or  sympathy.  In  fact,  I  was  away  in  George- 
town last  week,  and  this  week  am  devoted  to  Judge  O'Neale  and 
the  Docket.  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  meet  a  congenial  spirit, 
but  I  do  not  hke  your  doubts,  when  you  question  whether  I  am 
sensible  of  the  affinity  that  brings  us  together  in  feeling  and 
temperament,  tho'  divided  so  far  by  the  difference  between  a 
landed  Gentleman  and  a  plodding  practitioner.  Let  me  impose 
on  you  the  duty  of  making  my  congratulations  to  the  happy 
gentleman,  and  my  vows  for  the  happy  future  of  your  daughter, 
as  well  as  my  acknowledgements  to  Mrs.  Elliott  of  the  great 
honor  done  me  by  her  invitation.  It  would  have  been  a  great 
source  of  pleasure  to  my  young  friend  Johnston  Pettigrew,  if 
he  had  been  able  to  avail  himself  of  your  kind  invitation.  Hop- 
ing that  the  great  event  may  be  the  theme  of  many  agreeable 
and  happy  recollections,  I  am,  my  dear  Elliott, 

Yours  truly, 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU   KING 

Flat  Rock,  18  August,  1856. 
My  dear  Sue: 

This  is  the  first  letter  I  have  written  since  12th,  which  was 
the  day  I  left  Badwell  for  Due  West.  We  set  out  with  mules 
and  horses.     The  girls  Minnie,  Louise  and  Little  Lou  staid  that 


*The  marriage  of  Colonel  A.  E.  Gonzales  to  Miss  Harriette  Elliott.     He  is  the 
father  of  Mr.  W.  E.  Gonzales  of  the  State,  Columbia,  S.  C. 


318  J^^j^s  Letters  and  Speeches 

night  at  Judge  Wardlaw's.  Charles  and  I  went  on  and  found 
Due  West  alive  with  people  from  the  whole  country  round. 
The  house  was  so  crowded,  that,  but  for  my  public  character, 
we  would  have  been  obliged  to  sleep  three  in  a  bed,  but  thanks 
to  that  distinction,  Charles  and  I  had  a  bed  to  ourselves.  There 
was  a  gathering  in  the  chapel  at  night,  and  many  speeches  from 
the  members  of  the  twin  societies,  Philomathean  and  Euphem- 
ean.  The  business  was  renewed  in  the  morning  at  10,  by  the 
graduates  and  kept  up  till  one.  True  to  the  pristine  manners 
of  the  country,  they  adjourned  to  dinner  for  an  hour,  and  then 
were  to  meet  to  hear  the  anniversary.  They  came  in  pretty 
punctually,  but  then  had  to  wait  for  the  musicians,  who  were 
refreshing,  and  made  the  people  feel  their  importance  by  keep- 
ing them  in  expectation  of  their  coming  till  they,  who  had  not 
wearied  under  the  infliction  of  10  schoolboy  declamations,  were 
tired  with  waiting  in  silence.  But  all  things  at  last  were  ready 
and  the  anniversary  began.  But  here  a  great  disappointment 
awaited  the  assembled  host  when  they  found,  that  instead  of 
preaching,  they  were  to  listen  to  a  mere  reader.  Added  to  this, 
the  clouds,  which  had  been  during  the  recess  gathering,  now 
began  to  throw  a  veil  over  the  face  of  day,  and  before  we  had 
got  over  the  first  part  of  the  discourse,  rain,  which  had  not  been 
seen  for  months,  began  to  fall  and  every  man  in  the  house,  that 
had  dismounted  at  the  college  gate,  began  to  run  out  after  his  saddle 
or  blanket  or  beast,  and  the  ladies  moved  to  the  windows  and  the 
children  began  to  cry  and  except  the  Trustees  and  a  few  members 
of  the  society,  they  did  not  hear  a  word,  and  even  the  quotation 
from  the  Anti  Lucretius  failed  to  make  an  impression.  The 
reading  ended  before  the  rain,  which  was  in  fact  far  the  more 
interesting  of  the  two,  and  the  mass  slowly  dispersed.  We 
returned  to  the  Judge's  that  evening,  and  the  next  morning 
Charles  set  out  for  Badwell  at  2  o'clock;  I  took  the  car  for 
Greenville  and  the  girls  staid  to  make  a  morning  start.  *  *  * 
Adieu. 

Your  Parent. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  South  Carolina  Historical  Society 
was  held  October  28,  1856,  and  Mr.  Petigru  was  elected  its  first 
President.  The  petition  for  a  charter  for  the  Society,  signed  by 
J.  L.  Petigru,  F.  A.  Porcher  and  others,  was  submitted  to  the 
State  Legislature,  December  1,  1856. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Columbia,  28  November,  1856. 
My  dear  Sue: 

You  know  how  much  regard  I  have  always  had  for  Mr.  Barn- 
well Rhett,  and  my  high  esteem  of  Edmund's  abilities.     Col. 


James  Louis  Petigru  319 

Jack  too,  the  son  of  an  old  ally,  has  claims  on  my  good  feelings, 
which  I  am  no  ways  disposed  to  lessen.  While  on  the  other 
hand,  Mr.  Conner's  son  and  Johnston  too  are  placed  in  relations 
to  all  these,  that  are  not  of  an  inviting  tendency.  Your  learned 
physician  in  these  circumstances  puts  forth  an  address  to  the 
public,  calling  their  attention  to  Cunningham  and  the  Rhetts, 
certainly  not  for  the  most  charitable  ends.  Now,  what  I  want 
to  say  to  you  is,  that  I  would  deprecate  exceedingly  if  any  of  us 
should  take  a  side  in  the  affray.  I  deplore  poor  Taber's  death 
most  sincerely  and  would  hav^e  spared  no  pains  to  avert  his  fate. 
It  was  a  disastrous  event;  the  end  disappointed  everybody. 
If  he  had  killed  Magrath,  all  would  have  been  well.  It  would 
have  swelled  the  public  sympathy  into  an  immense  vote  for  his 
brother,  who  would  have  gone  to  Congress,  and  Taber,  poor 
fellow,  would  have  been  a  sadder  and  a  wiser  man  for  the  rest 
of  his  life.  But  the  catastrophe  did  not  wait  for  the  proprieties 
of  the  drama,  and  made  everything  wrong.  That  is  the  entang- 
lement; not  that  the  difficulties  of  the  plot  were  so  great  as  wise- 
acre Bellinger  makes  them,  or  that  there  was  any  necessity  that 
one  man  should  die,  or  that  poor  Taber  should  owe  his  life  to  a 
concession,  which  he  did  not  love  his  life  enough  to  make;  but 
that,  they  none  of  them  took  into  consideration  the  great  risk 
of  the  wrong  man  being  killed,  and  in  the  negotiation  on  the 
ground,  they  passed  over  on  both  sides,  the  only  practical 
solution,  viz:  to  consider  the  point  of  honor  as  being  the  only 
thing  in  issue  and  satisfied  by  the  exchange  of  shots.  Now,  as 
you  are  a  great  writer  and  sometimes  a  great  talker,  I  wish  to 
impress  on  you  my  fear  that  Bellinger's  piece  will  open  the  strife, 
and  to  beg  you  to  take  no  side,  and  the  only  way  to  take  no  side 
is  to  say  nothing.  It  is  what  I  do.  I  persuaded,  as  tar  as  I 
could,  Conner  and  Johnston  to  say  nothing  to  Cunningham's 
unnecessary  vindication,  because  it  was  only  a  vindication,  tho' 
as  far  as  I  can  see,  needless.  But  Bellinger's  piece  is  more  an 
attack  than  a  vindication,  and  will  be  likely  to  bring  on  a 
renewal  of  war,  in  which  war,  I  beg  you  my  child  to  be  quiet. 
Your  Uncle  Allston  is  going  to  be  Governor  without  opposition; 
tell  your  Aunt  so. 

Your  Parent. 

The  duel  between  Edward  Magrath  and  \V.  R.  Taber,  Jr., 
grew  out  of  an  acrimonius  political  newspaper  correspondence. 
The  affair  was  badly  managed  and  as  a  result  the  excitement 
continued  until  it  bid  fair  to  occasion  another  duel  in  which 
Col.  John  Cunningham,  Taber's  second,  was  involved.  Mr. 
Petigru  interfered  and  threatened  the  publisher  of  the  Courier, 
in  which  paper  the  letter  writing  war  was  carried  on,  with  prose- 
cution for  libel  if  any  further  communications  concerning  the 


320  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

duel  were  published  in  his  paper.  The  controversy  suddenly 
ceased.  A  few  days  afterwards  Dr.  Francis  Y.  Porcher  made  one 
of  his  accustomed  Sunday  morning  visits  to  Mr.  Petigru  while 
he  was  at  breakfast.  He  told  him  that  he  "came  to  him  as  the 
fountainhead  to  get  the  facts."  Mr.  Petigru  suddenly  wheeled 
in   his  chair  and   with  some  impatience  exclaimed,  "Porcher, 

'fountainhead'  be  d d!"     He  then  gave  his  reasons  for  what 

he  had  done  and  delivered  quite  a  lecture  on  the  law  of  libel. 
In  compliment  of  Mr.  Petigru's  intervention,  Colonel  John 
Cunningham  presented  him  with  a  very  handsome  gold  snuff 
box  which  is  still  in  the  possession  of  a  member  of  his  family. 
It  bears  the  following  inscription: 

John  Cunningham 

To  his  friend 
James  L.  Petigru 

A.  D.  1858. 


James  Louis  Petigru  321 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

1857 

Defeat  in  Law  Case;  Death  of  Captain  Thomas  Petigru; 
Completion  of  Memphis  &  Charleston  Railroad; 
Failure  of  Banks 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Tallahassee,  5  March,  1857. 

Dear  Sue: 

Since  Tuesday  week  I  have  heard  nothing  of  Charleston  but 
through  an  occasional  Courier^  but  I  hope  that  you  Sue  and 
Addy  are  well  and  lively,  and  that  you  are  not  without  some 
curiosity  to  know  how  we  are  getting  on  in  this  place.  Know 
then,  that  it  is  now  raining  hard  and  the  heights  about  Talla- 
hassee are  hid  in  mist.  Three  Judges  are  sitting  opposite  on  a 
bench  raised  above  the  common  level,  listening  to  an  apprentice 
of  the  Law,  who  is  reading  in  monotonous  tone  page  after  page 
of  what  witnesses  say  about  the  life  and  history  of  Hardy  Bryan 
Croom.  On  chairs  at  a  table  below  the  bench  are  seated  that 
reader,  besides  Mr.  Archer  and  your  paternal  ancestor  and  at 
the  fireplace  at  either  end  of  the  Hall  are  seated  various  persons, 
induced  by  business  or  want  of  business  to  while  away  the  morn- 
ing here.  Among  these  groups  are  Allen  McFarland  and  Mr. 
Sappington,  that  you  know,  and  Mr.  Croom,  that  you  have 
heard  of,  and  Judge  Law  and  some  half  dozen  more.  It  is  now 
yi  after  12,  and  we  have  had  a  real  Gulf  storm.  It  was  so  dark 
that  we  had  to  suspend  the  sitting  for  half  an  hour,  while  wind, 
rain  and  hail  filled  the  air,  and  tho'  it  is  now  comparatively 
clear,  we  have  to  introduce  candles.  This  is  the  third  day  that 
we  have  been  battling  in  Court  and  it  will  be  night  before  we 
will  be  through  with  the  evidence,  and  there  is  little  reason  to 
believe  that  I  shall  be  heard  before  Monday.  Judge  Law 
will  take  up  more  than  a  day,  so  that  you  may  take  for  granted 
that  I  have  business  on  hand  till  the  10th.  *  *  *  My 
hostess,  Mrs.  Croom,  is  so  kind,  that  she  never  thinks  I 
have  enough.  This  morning  I  told  her  that  if  she  could  get 
Judge  Law,  who  is  on  the  other  side,  to  her  table,  I  would  have 
no  objection  to  cramming  him,  but  it  would  not  be  good  policy 
for  her  to  give  me  so  many  good  things  before  her  case  was 
decided.  I  hope  there  is  no  danger,  but,  if  the  decision  should 
go  against  them,  it  would  make  a  sad  change.     I  don't  think  I 


322  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

would  have  the  courage  to  break  the  news  to  them.  But  I 
intend  to  run  the  risk  of  the  judgment,  by  hearing  it  dehvered 
before  I  go,  for  I  propose  to  make  a  trip  to  the  Wakulla  Spring 
after  the  argument  is  over.     Adieu,  dear  Sue. 

Your  Parent. 

The  Croom-Sappington  will  case  involved  a  large  amount  of 
money  in  Florida.  So  confident  was  Mr.  Petigru  of  gaining  the 
suit  that,  upon  his  opinion,  his  clients  refused  a  very  handsome 
compromise  that  was  offered  by  the  other  side.  The  case  was 
decided  against  him.  This  miscarriage  of  justice  nearly  set 
him  crazy.  Students  at  his  office  said  that  he  passed  his  time 
between  his  room  and  walking  in  his  garden  muttering  to  him- 
self and  it  was  worth  as  much  as  a  man's  life  to  approach  him. 
At  his  home  he  passed  the  nights  walking  up  and  down  repeating 
the  various  points  of  his  argument.  It  was  several  weeks  before 
he  recovered  from  the  shock. 

While  engaged  in  this  case  he  received  the  announcement  of 
the  death  of  his  brother,  Captain  Thomas  Petigru,  at  Washing- 
ton, March  6,  1857.  His  remains  were  removed  to  the  family 
cemetery  at  Badwell,  where  a  suitable  monument  marks  his 
last  resting  place.  The  generous  and  unselfish  character  of  Mr. 
Petigru  is  well  shown  by  the  following  letter  to  his  brother's 
widow. 

TO  MRS.  MARY  ANNE  PETIGRU 

Goodwood,  Florida,  March  11,  1857, 
My  dear  Sister  Anne: 

When  the  first  shock  of  the  heavy  news  which  has  just  reached 
me  was  over  my  thoughts  immediately  reverted  to  you.  And 
when  I  lifted  up  my  heart  in  silent  supplication  for  the  Divine 
mercy  on  my  poor  brother's  soul  my  next  feeling  was  in  reference 
to  you:  that  you  might  have  the  aid  of  the  same  mercy  to  support 
this  trial  as  you  have  supported  so  many  others.  There  is  no  one 
but  yourself  who  will  be  so  deeply  affected  by  his  loss  as  I.  He 
was  my  nearest  friend  and  his  removal  leaves  a  blank  in  my 
existence  only  to  be  equalled  by  the  one  it  must  make  in  your 
life.  To  supply,  by  my  zeal,  the  want  of  that  arm,  on  which 
you  have  leaned  so  long,  will,  to  the  limited  extent  of  my  ability, 
be  a  duty  never  to  be  forgotten  by  me.  The  requirements  of 
my  connection  with  the  Court  now  sitting  at  this  place,  will 
detain  me  at  least  two  days  more  and  no  other  cause  would  keep 
me  from  waiting  on  you  in  person  to  assume  every  care  and 


"James  Louis  Petigru  323 

trouble  that  you  would  allow  me  to  undertake  for  you  and  assure 
you  of  the  depth  of  my  sympathy  in  all  your  griefs.  And  I  beg 
you  to  believe  that  in  this  mind  I  shall  ever  be,  my  dear  Anne, 
your  friend  and  brother, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  May  9,  1857. 
Dear  Sue: 

Your  Grandmama  has  accomplished  this  morning  an  extra- 
ordinary work,  and  something  almost  as  wonderful  is  likely  to 
happen  in  a  few  hours,  in  which  your  papa  is  principally  con- 
cerned. In  a  word.  Grandma  this  day  completes  her  80th  year, 
and  the  number  78 — no,  68  will  be  sounded  by  the  clock  in  your 
father's  Hall  tomorrow.  Don't  you  think  we  had  better 
lengthen  the  table,  so  as  to  take  in  Aunt  Jane  and  the  others? 
And  if  you  agree  with  me  that  Sarah  is  hardly  adequate  to  a 
ragout,  will  you  decide  between  Jake  and  Lizzie,  which  is 
deserving  of  most  confidence. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Broad  Street,  May  26,  1857. 

*  *  *  The  Memphis  people  are  coming  in  shoals.  They 
say  the  entertainment  will  cost  the  city  $20,000.  They  wanted 
me  to  act  as  one  of  the  vice  presidents  on  Thursday,  but  it  is 
out  of  the  question.  I  consented  to  let  my  name  stand  as  a 
manager  of  the  ball  among  the  seniors,  for  that  involves  no 
necessity  for  attending;  but  to  partake  in  the  festivities  is  another 
thing,  for  which  I  have  no  heart.     *     *     * 

The  citizens  were  jubilant  over  the  completion  of  the  Memphis 
and  Charleston  Railroad,  and  the  inauguration  of  the  Blue 
Ridge.  Great  hopes  were  entertained  of  increased  commercial 
advantages  and  a  more  profitable  trade.  The  citizens  of  Mem- 
phis were  invited  to  visit  Charleston  and  mingle  the  waters  of 
the  Mississippi  with  those  of  the  Atlantic. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  October  13,  1857. 

*  *  *  I  hope  Ned  got  through  his  journey  without  any 
accident  and  delivered  my  letter,  as  well  as  the  small  parcels 
delivered  to  him,  with  fidelity.  That  is  a  virtue  that  ought  to 
be  at  a  premium  in  these  days.  The  instances  ot  gross  betrayals 
of  trust  have  been,  unfortunately,  common  of  late  and  even  in 
this  hum-drum  place,  where  people  console  themselves  for  being 


324  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

dull  with  the  notion  that  they  are  very  honest,  there  are  many 
recent  defalcations.     *     *     * 

The  few  cases  [of  yellow  fever]  that  have  appeared  do  not 
amount  to  an  epidemic  and  are  not  on  the  increase.  It  is  very 
different  as  to  the  disaster  that  affects  the  money  market. 
There  the  disease  is  on  the  increase.  Two  more  banks  failed 
yesterday,  the  S.  W.  Railroad  Bank  and  the  South  Carolina, 
and  today  the  People's  Bank  (the  same  that  McKay  ran  away 
from)  has  followed  the  example;  nor  should  I  be  surprised  if  one 
or  two  go  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon.  The  generality  of  the 
people  would  be  glad  if  they  would  all  suspend,  as  it  would  allay 
the  struggle  which  it  costs  to  maintain  the  contest.     *     *     * 


James  Louis  Petigru  325 


CHAPTER  XL 

1858 

Appeal  to  Susan;  Death  of  Colonel  Hampton  and  Doctor 
Oilman;  Visit  of  Mr.  Edward  Everett;  His  Letters; 
Trenholm;  Marietta,  Ga.,  Defends  Blue  Ridge  Rail- 
road; Opposed   by  Toombs    and    Cobb 

to  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  February  18,  1858. 
My  dear  Sister: 

*  *  *  How  much  I  was  shocked  by  Colonel  Hampton's 
death !  and  Mr.  Oilman's  was  made  known  the  same  day.  Many 
of  his  friends  went  to  Columbia  to  attend  the  Colonel's  funeral. 
Had  I  been  there  I  would  probably  have  gone,  too.  The 
funeral  of  Mr.  Oilman*  was  like  that  of  a  great  minister 
of  State.  It  was  the  best  evidence  of  the  high  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held,  that  the  church,  long  before  the  hour 
of  the  service,  was  filled  to  overflowing  and  crowds  remained 
outside  till  sundown.     Adieu.     Love  to  Louise. 

Your  Brother. 

to  edward  everett 

Charleston,  S.  C,  22  March,  1858. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  have  felt  quite  proud  of  my  daughter's  good  fortune  in 
securing  you  as  our  guest  for  a  part  at  least  of  your  time  when 
you  visit  this  place.  And  as  Mr.  Yeadon  is  bound  upon  a 
forensic  expedition  next  week  I  am  rejoiced  to  think  that  we 
shall  come  in  for  the  first  instead  of  the  second  place.  So  that 
even  if  you  do  not,  as  we  wish  you  would,  take  up  your  abode 
with  us  altogether,  you  will  still  as  I  trust  come  at  once  to  us, 
and  nowhere  else  on  your  arrival. 

As  to  the  time  of  your  coming  the  choice  of  course  is  with  you 
and  a  hearty  welcome  awaits  you  whenever  it  is;  but  as  to  the 
public,  the  season  makes  some  difl^erence.  In  Passion  week  it 
is  impossible  in  this  place  to  inaugurate  any  festive  or  secular 
demonstration  with  success,  and  even  the  Oration  on  Washing- 
ton would    by  a  large   and    influential  class    be  considered  an 


*Samuel  Gilman,  D.  D.,  rector  of  the  Unitarian  church  tor  28  years. 


326  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

unseasonable  display.  If,  therefore,  we  have  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  you  before  Easter,  we  would  propose  that  the  interim  be 
passed  in  domestic  tranquility.  After  Easter  the  public  will  be 
in  a  fitting  state  to  enjoy  the  charm  of  eloquence,  and  when  your 
labours  are  over,  we  have  in  prospect  for  you  an  excursion  into 
the  neighborhood  which  will  give  our  friends  an  opportunity 
much  desired  by  them,  of  welcoming  you  to  those  Country  Seats, 
which  are  now  beginning  to  be  particularly  pleasant. 

If  you  will  advise  us  of  your  progress  we  will  be  happy  to 
receive  your  despatches,  and  your  arrival  among  us  will  be  hailed 
with  greater  pleasure  by  none  than  by,  dear  sir. 

Yours  sincerely, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

Mr.  Everett  arrived  April  9  and  was  a  guest  at  Mr.  Petigru 's 
house  for  more  than  a  week.  Mr.  Yeadon  then  carried  him  to 
his  home  in  order,  as  he  said,  that  he  might  "have  a  free  swing." 
Every  one  knew  Mr.  Everett  as  the  type  of  reserve,  neatness 
and  precision,  and  Mr.  Yeadon  was  always  known  to  be  just 
the  reverse.  It  was  a  source  of  great  curiosity  to  know  how 
Mr.  Everett  must  have  appeared  in  "a  free  swing." 

ORATION 

delivered  on  the 
Third  Anniversary 

OF   THE 

South  Carolina  Historical  Society 

AT 

Hibernian  Hall,  in  Charleston 
ON  Thursday  Evening,  May  27,  1858, 

BY 

James  Louis  Petigru, 
president  of  the  so.  ca.  historical  society. 

It  is  the  province  of  Reason  to  distinguish  between  right  and 
wrong,  and  to  deduce  from  that  distinction  rules  for  the  con- 
duct of  Hfe. 

But  Reason  itself  is  not  exempt  from  error.  Theory  and 
speculation  often  fail  in  doctrine  as  well  as  in  practice,  and  there 
are  no  errors  so  dangerous  as  the  mistakes  of  men  in  whom  the 
faculty  of  reason  is  predominant,  because  they  have  the  power, 
by  persuasion  and  argument,  of  making  those  mistakes  the 
source  of  pernicious  opinions.  Not  to  mention  the  disturbing 
influence  of  interest  and  passion,  the  seeds  of  error  are  so 
thickly  sown,  that  Reason  itself  must  lean  on  the  authority  of 
Experience. 

Many  trains  of  thought,  like  streams  that  have  no  outlet, 


James  Louis  Petigru  327 

terminate  in  uncertainty:  and  there  are  problems  in  moral 
philosophy  on  which  reason  disputes  in  vain. 

Not  individuals  merely,  but  whole  communities,  are  divided 
by  opinions  in  which  both  parties  are  equally  clear.  There  is 
many  a  debate,  where  there  is  no  decision;  and  the  judgment  of 
one  age  is  often  reversed  by  the  next.  Thus  the  adherents  of 
antiquity,  under  the  name  of  Conservatives,  and  the  partisans 
of  progress,  under  the  banner  of  Reform,  wage  an  endless  war. 
While  by  one  party  the  clouds  that  obscure  the  sky  are  hailed 
with  gladness,  as  harbingers  of  refreshing  rain;  to  other  minds 
the  troubled  atmosphere  is  filled  with  diretul  portents  of  the 
coming  storm.  On  the  other  side,  whatever  is  new  is  welcome; 
while  with  others,  truth  itself  would  be  rejected,  if  it  have  not 
the  stamp  of  antiquity. 

Though  opinion  assumes  such  various  shapes,  and  whole 
armies  are  recruited  for  the  defence  of  every  sort  of  doctrine, 
they  all  equally  appeal  to  the  authority  of  Reason;  nor  does 
Reason  spurn  the  appeal — for  they  all  draw  their  weapons  from 
her  armory;  and  neither  intellect  nor  acuteness  in  debate,  can 
be  denied  even  of  the  most  dangerous  fanatics,  or  the  wildest 
enthusiasts. 

It  is  History  that  comes  to  the  relief  of  conscience  when  per- 
plexed by  the  conflict  of  opinion;  and  furnishes  a  guide  for  con- 
duct and  judgment,  when  reason  is  at  fault.  It  is  to  the  human 
family  what  experience  is  to  the  individual.  Precedent  and 
example  furnish  a  clue  for  arriving  at  a  decision  when  the  mind  is 
bewildered  by  doubt.  They  show  the  difference  between  the 
line  to  be  pursued,  and  that  to  be  avoided;  between  the  way  that 
leads  to  ruin,  and  that  which  conducts  to  safety;  and  questions 
which  Reason  could  not  solve,  are  silently  settled  by  Time. 

Time,  which  is  the  destroyer  of  the  works  of  men,  gives  them 
History  in  return  for  what  it  takes  away.  The  legacy  is  of 
inestimable  value,  but  it  has  not  always  been  transmitted 
through  faithful  hands.  The  truth  which  it  is  the  duty  of 
history  to  reveal,  is  often  clouded  with  fable.  Yet  it  is  to  the 
study  of  history  chiefly  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  skill  that  is 
necessary  to  separate  the  ore  from  the  dross;  to  discriminate 
between  the  true  and  the  false;  between  the  tales  of  fiction  and 
the  phenomena  of  real  life.  In  early  times  this  operation  was 
but  very  imperfectly  understood;  and  in  the  narrativ^es  that 
have  come  down  from  a  remote  antiquity,  truth  and  fiction  are 
so  intimately  blended  as  to  defy  separation.  The  credulity 
with  which  things  contrary  to  nature  and  experience  are  received 
even  by  able  and  observing  men,  becomes  a  marvel  and  problem 
for  succeeding  ages;  that  cherish,  perhaps,  on  other  subjects, 
opinions  equally  at  variance  with  truth;  destined  in  their  turn, 
to  be  rejected  with  amazement  as  the  exploded  fallacies  of  an 
unquestioning  period.     As  in  the  external  world  the  senses  are 


328  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

often  unconscious  of  surrounding  objects;  so  in  the  interior  life 
of  man,  the  mind  may,  for  want  of  attention,  be  insensible  to 
ideas  that  would  otherwise  be  obvious.  The  jurists  say,  with 
justice,  that  nothing  is  certain  which  has  not  been  questioned — 
for  till  the  question  is  made,  there  is  no  comparison,  and  of  course 
no  judgment;  so  that,  without  an  actual  examination,  it  is 
impossible  to  tell  whether  anything  received  for  true  will  stand 
the  test  of  investigation;  for  it  may  have  been  admitted  at  first 
by  indolence  or  inattention,  become  fixed  by  habit,  and  gradually 
acquired  the  character  of  public  opinion. 

Although  the  difference  between  truth  and  falsehood  is  a 
distinction  perceptible  to  the  understanding  of  all  rational  beings; 
yet  to  discriminate  between  them  in  a  complex  proposition, 
where  there  is  a  necessity  for  comparison  and  reflection,  requires 
the  use  of  rules  that  are  the  later  productions  of  a  cultivated 
Reason.  As  long  as  History  depended  on  tradition,  and  no 
contemporary  memorials  preserved  its  integrity  against  the 
defects  of  memory,  or  the  interpolations  of  partiality  or  hatred, 
the  line  between  fable  and  veracious  narrative  was  scarcely 
perceptible. 

The  account  of  what  happened  in  former  times,  was  not  only 
imperfect  for  the  want  of  accurate  information,  but  the  narra- 
tive was  varied  by  prejudice  or  vanity;  by  the  desire  of  incul- 
cating the  opinions,  or  gratifying  the  ambition  of  the  writer. 
But  when  public  registers  of  some  sort  began  to  be  kept,  con- 
temporary evidence  checked  the  license  of  the  imagination,  and 
history  assumes  more  and  more  the  gravity  of  a  rnoral  teacher. 
The  critical  judgment  of  Polybius,  for  instance,  is  in  strong  con- 
trast with  the  credulous  avidity  of  Herodotus.  For  though  the 
Father  of  History,  as  he  is  called,  is  a  lover  of  truth,  and  deserv- 
ing of  confidence,  when  he  speaks  from  his  own  knowledge;  so 
that  succeeding  investigations  have  tended  more  and  more  to 
raise  his  character  for  fidelity;  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  he 
seems  to  have  been  sadly  deficient  in  weighing  the  credibility  of 

evidence. 

But  there  has  ever  been  a  wide  difference  between  the  tradit- 
ionary and  the  critical  school  in  the  appreciation  of  history. 
The  prevailing  style  has  varied  with  the  state  of  public  opinion. 
Till  the  revival  of  letters,  the  traditionary  school  had  clearly  the 
advantage  in  popularity,  and  it  is  not  without  wonder  that  we 
see  that  even  the  daring  genius  of  Milton  was  so  far  subdued  by 
the  spirit  of  his  age  as  to  lend  a  sort  of  credence  to  the  legend  of 
King  Brute  and  his  Trojan  Colony. 

With  the  revival  of  letters,  as  a  more  liberal  way  of  thinking 
prevailed,  a  more  strict  adherence  to  truth  was  exacted  in  every 
branch  of  knowledge.  But  it  is  mainly  owing  to  the  study  of 
history,  and  the  light  which  has  been  thrown  on  the  records  of 


James  Louis  Petigru  329 

the  past;  that  the  critical  judgment,  for  which  modern  times  are 
distinguished,  has  been  refined  and  improved. 

Recovering  as  it  were  from  the  sleep  of  ages,  the  human  mind 
rejects  the  dreams  that  have  been  imposed  on  the  world  for 
history;  and  renders  to  truth  the  homage  of  an  exclusive  wor- 
ship. That  which  is  asserted  without  proof  is  deemed  unworthy 
of  credence  or  even  ot  refutation.  Assertion  is  not  enough  with- 
out evidence,  nor  a  witness  without  some  voucher  for  his  com- 
petency as  well  as  his  integrity. 

Authentic  history  may  be  said  to  commence  with  the  times 
when  historians  began  to  avail  themselves  of  contemporary 
memorials  of  the  events  which  they  undertook  to  describe. 
Our  pride  may  be  humbled  by  the  reflection  that  after  all  we 
know  so  little  ot  the  past;  that  even  the  dim  light  of  tradition 
throws  no  rays  upon  the  beginning  ot  the  present  order  of  things. 
Moses  alone  takes  up  his  theme  with  the  morning  of  creation; 
but  his  mission  is  not  that  of  satisfying  profane  curiosity;  nor 
is  the  sacred  narrative  a  fit  subject  for  the  critical  tribunal. 
But  it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark  of  the  two  main  features 
of  that  narrative,  that  his  chronology,  which  assigns  a  compara- 
tively recent  date  to  the  first  appearance  of  man  on  this  globe, 
is  corroborated  by  the  investigations  of  science;  and  that  the 
unity  of  the  human  race,  a  dogma  consecrated  by  his  authority, 
and  dear  to  the  sentiments  of  humanity,  can  not  be  disproved 
by  reason. 

But  the  origin  of  nationalities,  and  the  names  of  the  great 
benefactors  of  mankind,  who  colonized  the  fairest  parts  of  the 
earth,  and  made  the  greatest  inventions,  are  buried  in  the  dark- 
ness of  oblivion.  For  great  things  were  done  before  the  historic 
period  began,  and  many  great  events,  since  that  time  have  been 
so  transformed  by  fable,  as  to  come  down  to  us  in  the  form  of 
Apologue  and  Mythology. 

But  since  men  began  to  keep  records  and  to  raise  intelligible 
monuments,  new  life  is  infused  into  the  world  by  extending  the 
pleasures  of  memory  to  the  bounds  of  history;  and  elevating 
the  enjoyments  of  hope  to  the  height  of  an  enduring  fame. 
And  whereas  truth  was  once  so  mixed  with  error  as  to  lie  undis- 
tinguished in  the  mass  of  fable,  she  now  shines  with  her  own 
lustre;  and  though  the  path  of  life  is  beset  with  thorns,  and  the 
ascent  is  steep  and  laborious,  the  light  of  history  irradiates  the 
way;  while  the  noble  example  of  those  who  have  gone  before, 
encourages  the  generous  souls  who  are  willing  to  climb  the  hill; 
like  the  voice  of  companions  calling  from  above  to  cheer  and 
animate   their  efforts. 

Well  may  Cicero,  great  master  of  wisdom  as  of  eloquence, 
exclaim:  History  is  the  evidence  of  ages,  the  light  of  truth,  the 
life  of  memory,  and  the  school  of  life. 

The  South   Carolina  Historical  Society  aims  at  promoting 


330  ^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

historical  studies,  and  preserving  the  materials  of  history  that 
are  derived  from  cotemporary  witnesses. 

The  public  mind,  in  our  country,  is  far  more  occupied  with 
the  future  than  the  past.  It  is  a  very  general  complaint  that 
our  people  are  careless  of  records.  The  materials  of  history  are 
treated  very  much  like  the  noble  forest,  not  to  be  surpassed  in 
beauty,  with  which  Carolina  was  once  covered.  It  is  delivered, 
without  mercy,  to  the  havoc  of  the  axe  or  the  ravages  of  the 
devouring  flame.  The  supply  is  supposed  to  be  inexhaustible, 
and  the  process  goes  on  till  the  recklessness  of  waste  is  checked 
by  the  alarm  of  approaching  scarcity.  We  would  interpose  to 
protect  the  remnant  of  that  noble  forest  which  is  threatened 
with  extermination.  We  would  be  happy  to  lend  our  aid  in 
preserving  the  memory  of  things  remarkable  or  interesting,  in 
our  country,  which  are  beginning  to  lose  their  hold  on  living 
memory.  The  labors,  the  trials,  and  dangers  that  have  proved 
the  endurance,  or  exercised  the  virtues  of  our  countrymen,  are 
in  our  eyes  of  sufficient  interest  to  be  preserved  from  neglect. 
We  would  inscribe  with  a  name  the  battlefields  of  Indian  and 
British  hostility;  and  would  fain  prevent  the  soil  that  has  been 
watered  with  blood  poured  out  in  behalf  of  the  Commonwealth, 
from  being  confounded  with  common  earth.  Our  labors, 
though  unpretending,  are  accompanied  by  good  intentions; 
and  I  am  happy  to  say,  encouraged  by  a  benefaction  from  the 
State  equal  to  our  moderate  desires. 

But  the  annals  of  our  State  have  not  been  entirely  neglected. 
The  Colonial  History  has  been  written  by  Hewitt — a  writer 
rather  pleasing  from  his  style  than  instructive  by  the  depth  or 
extent  of  his  information.  The  subject  has  been  treated  by 
Ramsay  and  Simms  in  narratives  extending  to  our  times. 
Ramsay's  History  is  the  work  of  a  man  of  liberal  mind,  engaged 
in  professional  cares,  and  pursuing  literature  as  a  secondary 
object.  But  he  had  been  an  actor  in  many  of  the  later  scenes 
which  he  describes,  and  abounds  in  information,  the  result 
rather  of  his  own  observation  and  intercourse  with  life,  than  of  a 
careful  examination  of  books.  Of  the  period  antecedent  to  the 
Revolution,  a  critical  examination  was  not  in  his  power,  for  the 
records  were  beyond  his  reach.  They  lie  disregarded  in  the 
State  paper  office  in  London,  and  it  is  a  favorite  object  of  this 
Society  to  make  their  contents  known  by  copies  obtained  from 
official  sources. 

The  History  of  Simms  is  a  work  of  which  parental  affection 
may  be  proud,  having  been  composed  under  its  dictates,  as  we 
are  informed  by  the  Preface;  to  provide  for  a  want  that  was  felt 
in  the  education  of  the  author's  daughter.  He  deserves  great 
praise  for  his  attempt  to  reform  the  vulgar  nomenclature  of 
many  places  and  natural  features  of  the  State,  which  are  dis- 
graced by  obscure  or  trivial  names;  and  to  restore  the  historical 


James  Louis  Petigru  331 

and  oftentimes  euphonious  designations  by   which   they  were 
characterized  in  the  Indian  tongue. 

Valuable  documentary  materials  belonging  to  the  Revolution- 
ary period  have  been  supplied  by  Drayton  in  his  History,  and 
Johnson  in  his  life  of  Greene,  to  which  the  volumes  published 
by  (jibbs  form  a  valuable  addition;  and  the  story  of  the  war  in 
Carolina  may  be  read  with  pleasure  in  the  soldierly  narrative  of 
Lee,  and  the  lively  pages  of  Weems,  the  biographer  of  Marion. 
Without  dwelling  on  the  laudable  munificence  of  Mr.  Watson, 
who  has  invested  some  rare  old  memoirs  of  the  colonial  times 
with  all  the  splendors  of  Typography,  we  must  not  omit  to 
notice  the  Historical  Collections  of  Carroll,  and  the  work  of 
Rivers,  on  the  Proprietary  period;  which  is  a  foretaste  of  the 
pleasure  and  instruction  which  we  may  hope  to  derive  from  the 
progress  of  his  labors  in  the  same  field. 

Perhaps  the  opinion  is  tinged  with  the  partiality  of  a  native, 
yet  after  making  all  allowance  for  the  bias  of  patriotism,  it  may 
be  said,  I  think,  with  justice,  that  the  annals  of  South  Carolina 
offer  to  the  eye  of  the  historian  a  field  worthy  of  more  than  com- 
mon  attention. 

The  first  scene  partakes  of  all  the  interest  of  romance.  The 
voyages  of  Ribault  and  Laudoniere  carry  the  reader  back  to  the 
period  of  the  civil  wars  of  France;  and  are  connected  with  the 
great  name  of  Coligny. 

France,  by  means  of  these  voyages,  impressed  the  country 
with  a  name  but  nothing  more.  It  was  intended  as  an  asvlum 
for  French  Dissent;  and  so,  in  fact,  it  became,  but  not  under 
French  domination.  The  sad  fate  of  the  Protestant  exiles — the 
extinction  of  the  hopes  that  had  animated  the  great  soul  of 
Coligny,  and  led  his  adventurous  countrymen  to  encounter  so 
many  sacrifices,  is  a  gloomy  picture;  unredeemed  by  a  single 
incident  of  a  more  genial  nature,  unless  it  be  admiration  of  the 
noble  DesGourges;  who  assumed  the  public  cause  when  ne- 
glected by  the  State;  and  with  a  private  hand  avenged  the 
insulted  honor  of  his  country. 

To  the  same  shores,  dark  with  the  shade  of  the  primeval 
forest,  after  long  years  of  undisturbed  seclusion,  came  the 
English  Colony,  under  better  auspices.  It  was  an  eventful 
period  between  the  Great  Rebellion  and  the  Revolution. 
Society  had  been  profoundly  agitated,  and  the  heaving  billows 
bore  witness  of  the  recent  storm.  It  was  a  singular  colony  of 
men  who  had  fought  in  civil  war  on  opposite  sides,  and  were 
ready  to  do  so  again.  It  was  equally  an  asylum  for  the  oppres- 
sor and  the  oppressed.  There  royalist  and  republican,  church- 
man and  dissenter,  found  alike  a  refuge  from  the  storms  of  life. 
Nor  was  it  merely  from  the  discordant  elements  of  England  or 
the  British  Isles  that  the  strange  medley  was  gathered.  The 
rivalry  of  England  and  France,  which  has  disturbed  the  peace 


332  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

of  the  world  for  centuries,  was  then  at  its  height.  They  regarded 
each  other  as  natural  enemies,  and  on  the  continent  of  America 
their  meeting  was  the  signal  of  hostilities.  But  as  every  variety 
of  living  hing  found  refuge  in  Noah's  ark,  so  in  Carolina  there 
was  a  strange  meeting  of  the  human  race. 

The  Protestants  of  France,  that  had  waged  many  a  hard- 
fought  battle,  and  seen  the  downfall  of  hopes  to  which  humanity 
might  cling  as  to  a  promise  of  blessing,  now  turned  their  eyes 
again  to  the  shores  which,  in  the  preceding  century,  had 
attracted  the  attention  of  Coligny.  To  Carolina  they  came;  but 
no  longer  French — not  as  masters,  but  as  suppliants  for  the  rights 
of  hospitality.  Bitter  must  have  been  the  struggle  with  which 
they  had  overcome  the  natural  pride  of  the  human  heart,  when 
they  sunk  the  proud  name  of  Frenchman  in  that  of  Protestant; 
and  taught  their  children  to  speak  an  alien  tongue.  They  came 
with  small  assurance  of  welcome  to  join  a  discordant  throng. 
Though  the  Huguenots  have  been  scattered  far  and  wide,  and 
given  proof  in  every  clime  of  the  power  that  abides  with  sincere 
religious  faith;  nowhere,  is  it  believed,  have  they  been  more  con- 
spicuous— and  nowhere  has  the  sentiment  of  honor,  so  charac- 
teristic of  their  race,  been  cherished  with  more  devotion — than 
in  South  Carolina. 

The  heterogeneous  colony  received  accessions  from  every  side. 
The  Germans  added  no  small  share  to  the  increasing  stock. 
The  European  exile  and  the  African  slave  mixed  in  the  throng, 
and  every  shade  of  color  and  opinion  had  its  representative  in  the 
mass.  Then  there  was,  in  the  process  of  time,  a  contrast  no  less 
striking  between  the  Upper  and  Low  country.  The  Upper 
country  was  not  peopled  from  the  older  part  of  the  colony,  but 
by  a  different  race;  and  its  inhabitants  maintained  few  relations 
with  the  people  of  the  Low  country,  from  whom  they  differed  in 
manners  as  much  as  in  origin;  and  with  whom  their  sympathy 
was  as  limited  as  their  intercourse.  So  great  was  the  difference 
that  sixty  years  ago  it  was  noticed  in  books  of  geography  that 
these  parts  of  the  State  differed  among  themselves  more  than  the 
other  States  differed  from  one  another. 

"If  any  city  ever  was  in  a  state  of  inflammation,  Rome  at 
first  was,  being  composed  of  the  most  hardy  and  resolute  men, 
whom  boldness  and  despair  had  driven  thither  from  all  quarters; 
nourished  and  matured  to  power  by  a  series  of  wars,  and 
strengthened  even  by  blows  and  conflicts,  as  piles  fixed  in  the 
ground  becom  •  firmer  under  concussion."* 

Though  the  fame  of  Rome  throws  that  of  all  other  cities  into 
the  shade,  and  exposes  even  the  mention  of  a  casual  resemblance 
to  the  suspicion  of  presumption;  yet  in  one  particular,  we  may, 
without  exaggeration,  challenge  comparison.     For  though  the 


*P]ut.  in  vit.  Numa. 


James  Louis  Petigru  333 

name  of  Numa,  the  Roman  lawgiver,  is  renowned  in  history,  it 
is  too  much  mixed  with  imposture  to  be  the  theme  of  genuine 
admiration;  but  we  had  a  lawgiver  whose  fame  places  him  in  the 
front  rank  of  real  living  men.  The  men  of  wit  and  fashion  in 
the  Court  of  Charles  II  who  asked  and  obtained  the  gift  of 
Carolina,  selected  a  philosopher  for  the  lawgiver  of  the  nascent 
colony.     And  such  a  philosopher! 

Locke  was  the  friend  of  Shaftsbury,  and  he  who  shook  the 
world  by  his  Ideas — who  sounded  the  depths  of  the  Human 
Understanding,  and  walked  undismayed  to  the  brink  of  that 
abyss  where  lie  the  absolute,  the  incomprehensible,  the  unknown 
— he  at  the  request  of  friendship  compiled  the  first  constitution 
for  Carolina. 

No  existing  constitution  can  boast  such  an  illustrious  ancestry. 
In  reference  to  the  mind  from  which  it  emanated,  it  is  indeed  an 
interesting  document.  It  possesses  interest  also  as  a  sort  of 
sea-mark  by  which  it  may  be  seen  how  high  the  tide,  that  has 
since  swept  away  so  many  institutions,  had  risen  in  1672. 

On  examination,  it  will  be  seen  that  on  the  subject  of  religious 
liberty,  the  philosopher,  though  liberal,  has  many  reservations; 
and  in  matters  of  State,  his  ideas  conform  to  the  pattern  of  the 
British  Constitution  rather  than  to  any  Utopian  standard. 
But  some  of  his  notions  might  well  excite  a  smile,  and  others 
might  give  countenance  to  the  common  opinion,  that  great  men 
are  unfit  for  public  affairs. 

Shaftsbury,  one  of  the  Proprietors  of  Carolina,  who  with  all 
his  faults  enjoys  the  undying  tame  of  being  the  author  of  the 
Habeas  Corpus  Act,  is  the  only  person  in  modern  history,  neither 
priest  nor  lawyer,  who  was  clothed  with  the  highest  judicial 
ofl[ice;  and  took  upon  himself  to  be  a  Judge  in  the  last  resort, 
without  serving  an  apprenticeship  to  the  Law.  And  though  the 
experiment  was  never  repeated,  the  praise  of  a  bitter  enemy 
forbids  us  to  regard  it  as  a  total  failure.  Perhaps  the  author 
of  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act  will  be  more  indebted  for  his  fame  in 
these  lines,  than  to  all  that  has  been  written  in  his  behalf: 

"Yet  fame  deserveii  no  enemy  can  grudge 
The  Statesman  we  abhor,  but  praise  the  Judge, 
In  Israel's  courts  ne'er  sat  an  Abethdin 
With  more  discerning  eyes,  or  hands  more  clean; 
Unbribed,  unsought,  the  wretched  to  redress, 
Swift  of  dispatch  and  easy  of  access. " 

It  was,  perhaps,  in  deference  to  the  example  of  his  great 
friend  and  patron,  that  the  Philosopher  admitted  into  his  con- 
stitution this  article  on  the  value  of  professional  learning: 

"  It  shall  be  a  base  and  vile  thing  to  plead  for  money;  nor  shall 
anyone,  except  a  near  kinsman,  not  further  than  cousin-germain, 
be  permitted  to  plead  another  man's  case,  until  he  has  taken  an 
oath  that  he  does  not  plead  tor  money." 


334  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

Another  article  will  be  read  with  surprise  by  some  in  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  deserves  notice  for  its  historical  value: 

"Every  free  man  shall  have  absolute  power  over  his  negro 
slaves." 

Though  we  are  justly  proud  of  Locke  as  our  first  lawgiver,  it 
must  be  owned,  to  the  disparagement  of  philosophy,  that  his 
constitution  had  a  very  brief  and  limited  sway.  But  this  only 
adds  one  instance  more  to  the  lesson  of  history,  that  a  constitu- 
tion can  not  be  manufactured.  It  must  be  so  far  a  spontaneous 
production  as  to  proceed  from  and  truly  reflect  the  condition  of 
things  for  which  it  is  intended.  The  institution  of  a  provincial 
noblesse,  of  seigniories,  baronies  and  manors,  new  courts,  and 
new  notions  of  administering  justice,  were  inconsistent  with  the 
real  wants  of  the  country,  and  hostile  to  the  natural  develop- 
ment of  its  resources.  The  constitution  was  quietly  set  aside, 
without  having  given  rise  to  revolutionary  measures.  But  all 
attempts  to  govern  by  a  form  of  State  which  is  not  in  keeping 
with  the  condition  of  the  various  interests  which  go  to  form  a 
commonwealth,  is  a  dangerous  trial.  The  experiment  was 
innocuous  here,  because  the  fulminating  material  was  so  minute 
in  quantity.  The  Government  was  unarmed,  and  the  people 
were  at  ease.  The  same  experiment  on  a  great  scale  shook 
the  world  with  its  explosions. 

In  a  society  constituted  like  Carolina,  much  harmony  could 
not  be  expected,  nor  is  the  judgment  deceived  by  the  event. 
Fierce  party  contests  prevailed  from  the  beginning,  but  there 
was  no  anarchy.  The  colony  was  preserved  from  that  by  the 
ascendancy  of  party. 

It  is  rather  a  discouraging  fact  for  those  who  look  forward 
to  the  indefinite  progress  of  society,  that  the  solidarity  which 
should  complete  the  edifice— which  is  the  perfection  of  the  prm- 
ciple  of  association — the  harmony  which  secures  the  individual 
and  the  mass— is  realized  in  the  union  of  party,  rather  than  in 
the  union  of  all.  But  party  is  held  together  by  a  combination 
of  those  who  have  more  than  an  equal  share  of  power. 

The  history  of  Carolina  is  no  exception.  The  elective  fran- 
chise was  liberally  difl^used,  but  the  Test  and  Corporation  acts 
guarded  with  jealousy  the  steps  of  the  Provincial  Assembly, 
as  they  did  those  of  the  Imperial  Parliament;  and  the  avenues 
of  oflnce  were  closed  to  all  but  the  dominant  sect.  This  state 
of  things  existed  till  1778;  a  legislative  fact,  strangely  ignored  in 
the  voluminous  collection  of  Cooper,  under  whose  revision  the 
Statute  Law  of  Carolina  attained,  in  1834,  the  bulk  of  ten 
quarto  volumes. 

After  fifty  years  of  contention  a  revolution  took  place — 
the  proprietary  government  was  subverted,  and  the  colony 
placed  under  the  direct  control  of  the  crown.  The  spirit  of 
liberty  which  all  these  circumstances  combined  to  foster,  made 


James  Louis  Petigru  335 

it  very  natural  for  this  colony  to  take  fire  at  any  encroachment 
on  their  rights  as  British  subjects,  or  to  borrow  the  expression  of 
Drayton,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  revolution,  "the  imperial 
people."  By  such  men  the  cause  of  independence  was  embraced 
with  great  ardor.  But  where  there  is  freedom  there  will  be 
many  ways  of  thinking,  and  the  question  of  independence  was 
not  one  of  those  propositions  about  which  doubt  is  inconsistent 
with  integrity. 

There  was  in  South  Carolina  a  numerous  Population,  bound 
to  the  Government  of  the  mother  country,  not  only  by  the 
general  sentiment  of  loyalty,  but  by  the  ties  of  gratitude  for 
distinguished  favors.  They  had  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
crown  valuable  lands  as  a  free  donation,  which,  by  their  industry, 
had  been  converted  into  thriving  farms. 

The  government  was  known  to  them  only  by  its  beneficence, 
and  the  very  tailings  of  the  administration  were  calculated  to 
prevent  collision — to  preserve  the  kindly  relations  that  sub- 
sisted between  the  people  and  their  rulers.  It  was  the  duty 
of  the  royal  government  to  extend  to  all  their  subjects  a  regular 
administration  of  justice  and  a  due  provision  for  the  instruction 
of  the  people.  Both  Church  and  State  were  justly  chargeable 
with  the  neglect  of  this  duty.  But  it  is  not  improbable  that  the 
King  was  liked  the  better  for  not  sending  bishops  and  lawyers 
into  those  settlements,  where  people  lived  in  a  primitive  sim- 
plicity. Some  irregularities  were  the  consequence  of  disturb- 
ances connected  with  the  rise  of  a  set  of  men  called  Regulators. 
But  upon  the  whole,  simplicity  of  faith  suffered  but  little  from 
the  want  of  ecclesiastical  establishments,  and  manners  supplied 
the  place  of  law.  Upon  an  impartial  retrospect,  it  is  difficult  to 
condemn  such  people  for  being  contented  with  their  lot.  The 
evils  which  they  suffered  from  the  want  of  what  might  be  called 
a  vigorous  administration,  had  some  compensations.  Perhaps 
they  bore  them  patiently  because  they  seemed  to  be  the  inevit- 
able concomitants  of  freedom  and  a  frontier  life;  an  opinion  that 
derives  no  little  countenance  from  experience.  For  if  like  causes 
produce  like  effects,  the  want  of  justice  that  gave  rise  to  the 
Regulators  is  still  a  desideratum  attested  by  the  prevalence  of 
lynch  law. 

Whatever  may  be  the  cause,  certain  it  is  that  the  people  of 
South  Carolina,  were  on  this,  as  they  had  been  on  many  other 
occasions,  greatly  divided;  and  the  war  of  independence  in  this 
State,  was  marked  with  all  the  bitterness  of  civil  strife.  It  is 
for  that  very  reason  more  interesting  to  the  historian. 

Zeal  in  behalf  of  our  country  and  our  country's  friends  is 
commendable,  and  patriotism  deservedly  ranks  among  the 
highest  virtues.  But  even  virtue  may  be  pushed  to  excess,  and 
the  narrow  patriotism  that  fosters  an  overweening  vanity  and 


336  Lifey  Letters  and  Speeches 

is  blind  to  all  merit  except  its  own,  stands  in  need  of  the  cor- 
rection of  reason. 

History  is  false  to  her  trust  when  she  betrays  the  cause  of 
truth,  even  under  the  influence  of  patriotic  impulses.  It  is  not 
true  that  all  the  virtue  of  the  country  was  in  the  Whig  camp,  or 
that  the  Tories  were  a  horde  of  ruffians.  They  were  conserva- 
tives, and  their  error  was  in  carrying  to  excess  the  sentiment  of 
loyalty,  which  is  founded  in  virtue.  Their  constancy  embit- 
tered the  contest,  but  did  not  provoke  it.  Their  cause  deserved 
to  fail;  but  their  suflFerings  are  entitled  to  respect.  Prejudice 
has  blackened  their  name,  but  history  will  speak  of  them  as  they 
were,  with  their  failings  and  their  virtues,  as  more  tenacious 
than  ambitious;  rather  weak  than  aspiring;  and  show  towards 
them  the  indulgence  due  to  the  unfortunate.  And  let  it  be 
remembered  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  are  influenced  by  a 
name,  and  pin  their  faith  upon  party;— for  the  instruction  of 
those  writers  who,  like  unskilful  painters,  daub  their  pictures 
with  glaring  colors;  that  it  was  after  the  epithet  of  Tory  had 
become  perfectly  detestable  that  it  was  freely  bestowed  on  the 
Federalists,  their  most  redoubted  enemies. 

South  Carolina  has  been  taunted  with  the  division  of  parties 
that  marked  the  war  of  independence.  It  is  the  reproach  of 
ignorance.  The  division  is  a  proof  of  sincerity,  of  freedom, 
of  manliness  of  character.  It  embittered  the  contest,  it  gave 
occasion  for  the  commission  of  many  crimes,  but  it  was  also  the 
cause  of  opportunities  for  the  display  of  the  highest  virtues. 
Rutledge  will  ever  stand  in  the  ranks  of  fame  with  the  great  men 
whose  civil  wisdom,  courage,  and  fidelity  were  equal  to  every 
emergency,  and  proof  against  every  trial.  Nor  is  it  wonderful 
that  the  name  of  Marion  is  inscribed  on  counties,  towns  and 
villages  far  beyond  the  theatre  of  his  actions.  For  his  character 
combines  the  virtues  that  appeal  irresistibly  to  the  instincts  of 
the  human  heart.  His  courage,  gentleness,  simplicity,  and 
superiority  to  interest  or  revenge,  mark  him  as  a  fitting 
character  for  the  gallery  of  Plutarch;  and  such  a  portrait  as 
that  great  Limner  delighted  to  draw. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  enter  into  details,  far  less  to  attempt 
to  do  justice  to  all,  or  to  even  a  part  of  the  eminent  men,  to  whom 
as  citizens  of  this  State,  we  are  bound  by  the  debt  of  gratitude. 
Let  us  leave  to  Bancroft,  and  the  masters  of  the  historic  page, 
the  ample  roll  of  fame;  and  the  honored  task  of  inscribing  a 
nation's  gratitude  on  the  tablets  of  memory.  It  is  enough  for 
us  to  have  shown  that  our  State  has  furnished  some  historical 
materials,  and  called  attention  to  the  objects  of  our  Society. 

And  now  after  having  observed  at  some  length  on  the  com- 
posite structure  of  society,  and  the  strong  tendency  of  the  people 
to  fall  into  parties,  the  unanimity  which  for  years  has  marked 
the  public  counsels  of  the  State  deserves  to  be  mentioned  as 


James  Louis  Petigru  337 

the  unexpected  solution,  or  successful  development  of  the  long 
continued  drama.  From  the  most  heterogeneous  we  have 
become  the  most  united  of  all  the  political  communities  on  this 
continent.  May  that  union  be  consecrated  to  peace,  and  the 
future  history  of  the  State  contain  the  record  of  its  steady 
advance  in  all  the  arts  of  life,  and  all  the  virtues  that  dignify 
humanity. 

The  annual  visit  to  Badwell  this  year  was  made  in  July. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  July  20,  1858. 
*  *  *  We  will  leave  in  the  cars  on  Tuesday,  the  27th,  at 
half  after  8  in  the  evening.  Major  Welton  and  James  and  I, 
Caroline,  and  Louise,  besides  servants.  *  *  *  ^n^j  -^^  ^\\\ 
take  a  carriage  with  us  and  harness.  So  send  one  carriage, 
horses  for  another  and  a  wagon  for  the  rest.  *  *  *  \Yg  ^jjj 
expect  the  cattle  at  Newmarket  on  Wednesday,  28th  inst.,  and 
hope  that  we  will  not  fail.  If  we  do  it  will  not  be  for  want  of 
will.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

edward  everett  to  petigru 

Boston,  20  July,  1858. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  have  received  your  favor  of  the  16th,*  and  am  much  grati- 
fied to  find  that  you  derive  satisfaction  from  the  volumes  of 
Carey;  an  uncomfortable  man  in  his  personality,  I  have  heard, 
while  he  lived,  and  particularly  so  to  the  South,  and  I  must  own 
at  one  time  not  less  so  to  the  North,  by  his  urgent  recommenda- 
tions, in  season  and  out  of  season,  of  a  high  tariff;  but  in  his 
book, — at  least  in  this  copy  of  it — affording  a  notable  example  of 
"the  right  book  in  the  right  place."  I  bought  this.copy  many 
years  ago,  on  the  joint  recommendations  of  Mr.  Senator  John- 
ston of  Louisiana,  and  Mr.  Webster,  who  spoke  of  it  as  a 
valuable  repository  of  documents  throwing  light  on  the  Consti- 
tution and  the  state  of  things  out  ot  which  it  grew;  and  such 
indeed  I  found  it.  But  the  Constitution  itself  having  been 
found  to  be  a  poor  trashy  concern,  and  the  men  who  made  it  a 
set  of  ignoramuses,  I  have  long  since  given  up  the  study  of  their 
work  as  a  waste  ot  time,  and  devoted  myself  to  the  investiga- 
tions of  cuneiform  inscriptions  and  the  most  probable  route  of 
the  Indo-Germanic  emigration  into  Europe.  On  these  reallv 
important  questions  in  the  19th  century,  Carey  throws  no  light, 

*Mr.  Petigru's  letter  thanked  him  for  Carey's  Museum  and  sent  him  a  copy  of 
his  own  Address. 


338  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

and  is  to  me,  therefore,  comparatively  uninteresting,  while  to 
you  he  is  valuable  in  reviving  the  associations  of  youthful  days, 
and  aiding  you  to  live  the  past  over  again,  and  to  this  agreeable 
result  I  am  too  happy  to  have  contributed.  With  respect  to 
the  Detroit  trial,  I  was  struck,  with  you,  with  the  atrocity  of 
the  offence^  but  also  with  what  I  thought  the  atrocity  of  the  de- 
fence; but  perhaps  I  do  not  rightly  estimate  the  duty  of  counsel 
to  Christ,  whom  he  can  not  doubt  to  be  guilty  of  the  most 
abominable  crimes. 

I  am  truly  rejoiced  to  hear  of  the  improvement  of  Mrs.  Peti- 
gru's  health,  and  trust  she  will  get  through  the  summer  com- 
fortably in  her  rural  retreat.  I  have  even  flattered  myself  that 
one  or  two  good  laughs  which  we  had  together  did  her  a  great 
deal  of  good.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  we  do  not  now-a-days, 
either  in  pharmacy,  politics,  morals  or  any  of  the  other  great 
concerns  of  life,  take  pains  enough  to  keep  the  diaphragm  in  a 
gently  excitable  condition. 

Caroline,  as  you  justly  observe,  is  a  good  correspondent,  as 
she  is  in  everything  else  that  is  good.  That  she  can  find  any 
pleasure  in  writing  to  such  a  piece  of  the  old  world  as  myself  can 
only  be  explained  from  the  unfathomed  depths  of  woman's 
benevolence.  In  charming  me  from  some  otherwise  sad  hours 
and  the  doubtful  aspect  of  the  times,  her  letters  do  for  me  what 
Carey  does  for  you, — though  I  must  think  that  my  "Carrie"  is 
to  be  preferred  to  your  "Carey."  But  as  you  have  them  both 
and  ever  at  hand  you  are  rich  indeed. 

With  kindest  remembrance  to  all  at  103,  I  remain,  my  dear 
sir,  sincerely  yours. 

Edward  Everett. 

The  address  which  you  mention  having  sent  me  has  not  yet 
come  to  hand.  You  do  not  say  whether  you  received  the  odd 
volume  of  Carey  by  mail.  Caroline  can  tell  me,  when  she 
writes  again.     Please  have  it  bound  to  match  the  other  volumes. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Marietta,  September  15,  1858. 
My  dear  Sister: 

*  *  *  Now  if  you  want  to  know  why  I  did  not  write 
yesterday  I'll  tell  you  why.  I  had  never  been  to  Chattanooga 
and  had  heard  so  much  about  it  that  I  took  the  opportunity  on 
Monday  afternoon  to  run  there,  120  miles;  slept  at  the  hotel, 
went  up  the  mountain  next  morning,  had  a  view  of  a  glorious 
prospect  of  mountain,  plain  and  river;  came  down  to  the  common 
ground  and  took  the  car  returning  to  this  place,  where  I  arrived 
last  night  again,  and  am  now  writ  ng  in  Court,  while  Mr.  Cobb 
is  speaking,  and  happy  will  I  be  when  his  speech  and  his  case  are 


'James  Louis  Petigru  339 

at  an  end  and  I  am  seated  again  by  the  familiar  hearth  with  you 
and  Caroline  around  me.     Till  then,  Good-bye. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Badwell,  28  September,  1858. 
My  dear  Sue: 

When  I  was  at  Marietta,  I  was  hard  pressed  by  the  necessity 
of  listening  to  speeches  15  hours  in  the  delivery,  and  the  only 
way  was  to  write  in  Court,  with  an  ear  to  the  Speaker  and  an  eye 
to  the  paper.  But,  tho'  I  did  scratch  a  few  notes  at  intervals  in 
that  way,  to  let  Aunt  Jane  know  when  to  send  for  me,  or  Ma 
what  I  was  doing,  it  is  not  an  exercise  for  which  I  have  a  faculty 
like  Paulsen,  the  chess  player,  who  can  keep  up  a  dozen  games 
at  once.  As  Judge  Frost  came  straight  to  the  Island,  I  suppose 
you  will  have  heard  from  him  of  the  adjournment  of  Judge 
NicoH's  Court.  It  was  just  a  fortnight  between  my  departure 
and  return  to  Badwell.  In  that  interval,  besides  attending  the 
long  case  of  Bangs  &  the  Blue  Ridge,  I  have  one  day's  respite, 
which  I  employed  in  an  excursion  to  Chattanooga.  I  doubt  if 
your  geography  extends  so  far,  but  there  are  a  great  many 
places  in  Morse  or  Malte  Brun  less  worthy  of  celebration,  for, 
in  addition  to  mountain  scenery  and  the  various  hues  of  luxuri- 
ant vegetation,  it  commands  a  beautiful  water  prospect  of  the 
Tennessee  River  for  miles.  It  is  120  miles  from  Marietta  and 
I  did  not  begrudge  the  time  or  the  money  that  it  cost.  The  cause 
that  assembled  six  lawyers  and  led  to  a  hearing  of  eight  days  has 
greatly  excited  the  minds  of  the  parties  interested,  as  you  may 
judge  from  the  fact  that  though  our  adversaries  are  poor  and 
hungry  as  wolves,  they  sent  Mr.  [Robert]  Toombs  $1000  before 
he  left  home.  The  debate  was  often  conducted  with  warmth, 
but  we  parted  good  friends,  and  as  Mr.  Toombs  lives  on  the  way, 
I  not  only  accompanied  him  to  his  house  and  spent  a  night  under 
his  roof,  but  was  prevailed  on  by  his  unaffected  hospitality  to 
take  his  carriage  and  horses  to  Badwell.  You  can  let  Henry 
and  Johnston  know  that  tho'  I  did  not  quote  Pothier,  I  read 
with  great  profit  from  Storey,  who  unfolds  Pothier's  sentiments, 
and  that  the  demonstrative  audience  frequently  discovered 
the  leaning  of  their  feelings  in  our  favor.  The  general  opinion 
was  that  the  Judge  was  with  us,  and  Mr.  Toombs,  when  I  sat 
down,  said  that  I  had  damaged  their  case,  which  was  a  good 
deal  for  people,  who  had  begun  in  a  very  lofty  tone.  On  my 
way  from  Washington  I  dined  with  Mr.  Simons  and  Miss 
Fanny  Mathewson,  whom  you  probably  remember,  and  who 
inquired  in  a  very  friendly  style  after  you.  And  now  my  dear 
that  I  mention  you,  my  thoughts  are  turned  to  what  is  a  very 
familiar  subject:  your  situation  in  the  midst  of  the  yellow  fever. 


340  L.ijs^  Letters  and  Speeches 

I  hope  you  take  all  reasonable  precautions  against  the  infection, 
and  I  can  not  but  think  that  you  are  fortified  by  so  many  years 
residence  in  your  birthplace,  to  be  free  from  its  attack;  yet  I  am 
not  without  much  uneasiness  with  respect  to  you  as  well  as 
Johnston.  He  has  intruded  himself  into  the  pestilence,  and  I 
would  calculate  certainly  on  his  having  a  struggle  for  life,  if  not 
for  a  sort  of  analogy,  which,  tho'  it  has  no  real  basis  in  reason, 
has  some  influence  on  the  imagination.  It  is  often  seen  that  an 
enemy  is  quelled  by  meeting  him  half  way  and  becoming  the 
assailant  instead  of  avoiding  him,  and  one  is  very  apt  to  apply 
the  same  remark  to  the  destroyer  that  walks  unseen.  But  with 
all  my  heart  I  wish  he  had  stayed  in  Virginia  when  he  was  there. 
*  *  *  I  will  not  hurry  like  Johnston  to  meet  the  enemy,  but 
there  would  be  less  credit  in  doing  so,  because  the  risk  would  be 
next  to  nothing  to  such  a  resident  as  I,  and  so  old.  Having 
nothing  to  gain  in  point  of  reputation  therefore,  I  am  not  in 
haste,  but  having  little  or  nothing  to  lose,  I  have  no  intention 
of  putting  off  my  return  a  moment  longer  than  the  calls  of 
business  reach  me.  *     *     * 

To  those  who  did  not  know  Mr.  Petigru,  or  who  knew  him 
only  slightly,  the  course  he  pursued  with  the  Blue  Ridge  Rail- 
road is  a  revelation.  The  corporation  had  fallen  among  thieves 
and  was  sued  in  different  States  for  sums  which  the  claimants 
had  never  earned.  Mr.  Petigru  defended  the  road  with  zeal 
and  success.  In  payment  of  his  great  services  the  president  of 
the  railroad  company  offered  him  a  check  for  a  large  amount, 
with  an  expression  of  regret  that  it  was  not  larger.  Mr.  Petigru 
returned  the  check,  and  though  it  was  pressed  upon  him,  was 
resolute  in  refusing  to  accept  any  fee.  The  defendants  had  been 
wronged  and  that  was  enough  to  secure  his  sympathy  and  ser- 
vices. Installments  on  the  shares  of  the  railroad  for  which  he 
had  subscribed  were  uncalled  for  and  unpaid.  The  company 
proposed  to  give  him  credit  for  the  whole  amount.  This  propo- 
sition was  likewise  rejected  and  he  handed  to  the  company  his 
own  check  for  the  unpaid  installments.  It  must  be  remembered, 
too,  that  he  was  not  rich.  Nor  was  this  the  only  case  in  which 
he  was  resolute  in  refusing  a  fee,  even  from  a  corporation. 

He  was  often  employed  and  consulted  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment, especially  in  reference  to  colored  British  sailors  in  the 
port  of  Charleston.  On  one  occasion,  when  the  British  ministry 
then  in  power  had  specially  engaged  his  services,  he  sent  in  a 
bill  for  £20.     His  daughters  cried  out  upon  him,  declaring  with 


'James  Louis  Peiigru  341 

great  truth,  that  he  could  have  as  easily  made  out  one  for  £100 
and  been  more  highly  thought  of  for  doing  so.  But  he  was 
inexorable.  Upon  this  or  some  similar  occasion  the  British 
consul*  returned  to  the  office  an  opinion  with  the  complaint 

that  it  was  not  punctuated.     "Tell  Mr. , "  said  he,  "that  a 

legal  opinion  should  be  written  in  such  English  as  will  express 
its  meaning  clearly  without  the  aid  of  punctuation."! 

TO   ALFRED    HUGER 

Badwell,  22d  October,  1858. 
My  dear  Alfred: 

Your  congratulatory  letter  9  days  ago,  just  as  the  votes  for 
Senator  were  counted,  gave  me  three  days  of  unmitigated 
respect  for  the  Sovereign  People.  But  when  a  stray  newspaper 
from  the  Village,  anticipating  our  Post,  brought  the  account  of 
the  rout  among  our  friends,  it  was  like  the  news  of  defeat  after 
Te  Deum  for  a  victory.  My  friend  Johnston  has,  by  this  time, 
I  suppose,  digested  the  affront  the  best  way  he  can.  If  misery 
loves  company,  there  is  plenty  of  that,  and  if  there  is  any  con- 
solation in  a  stoical  contempt  for  external  fortune,  there  is  every 
opportunity  to  practice  it  for  the  benefit  of  our  townsmen,  who 
have  left  out  Nelson  Mitchell,  the  leader,  and  very  nearly 
excluded  Simons,  the  Speaker,  from  a  seat  in  the  House.  On 
comparing  the  names  of  the  18  with  those  of  the  rest,  one  can 
not  but  feel  that  there  is  a  great  advantage  in  deciding  by  lot. 
We  shall,  no  doubt,  see  the  time  or  other  people  will,  when  it 
will  be  considered  quite  a  privilege  to  be  allowed  to  draw  straws 
for  places  of  honor,  and  to  throw  "even  or  odd"  for  our  head 
man.  Our  chance,  between  Henry  and  Mordecai,  would  have 
been  as  good,  and  for  the  House,  ten  times  better.  The  leaves 
are  beginning  to  fall,  and  it  is  a  pleasant  sound  to  hear  the  acorns 
as  they  come  down  to  the  ground  with  a  clatter,  renewed  with 
every  gust  of  wind.  But  it  all  reminds  me  that  I  ought  to  be  at 
work,  and  I  hope  my  friend  Porcher  is  ready  to  lift  the  quaran- 
tine and  bid  me  come  home.  Do  tell  him  so  for  me.  I  long 
to  see  you  and  talk  over  the  things  that  we  have  seen,  as  seated 
under  your  hospitable  roof,  or  pacing  up  and  down  the  pavement 
in  Broad  Street.  I  hope  Mrs.  Huger  is  able  to  go  through  her 
task  of  doing  good  day  by  day  without  failing  in  health;  and  in 
resolution  and  spirit  I  know  she  never  will  fail.     Adieu. 

Yours,  J.  L.  P. 


*Robert  Bunch. 

fAnecdote  from  Joseph  Blythe  Allston. 


342  ^i/^^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XLI 

1859 

Historical  Investigations;  James  Late;  Lecture  to  Willie; 
South  Carolina  Railroad  Bridge;  Revival  Stirs  Abbe- 
ville Atmosphere 

to  w.  noel  sainsbury,  london 

Charleston,  S,  C,  January  10,  1859. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  have  seldom  been  more  gratified  than  by  your  three  letters 
of  the  4th,  6th  &  9th  of  November,  and  so  far  from  thinking 
your  Bill  extravagant,  I  am  sensible  that  you  are  entitled  to 
thanks  from  me,  not  only  for  your  diligence  in  pursuing  the 
inquiries,  but  for  the  humane  and  moderate  estimate  you  have 
put  upon  your  services.  I  am  obliged  to  you  too  for  the 
Literary  Gazette,  which  I  have  read  with  more  than  common 
interest  on  your  account.  Have  the  goodness  to  mark  me  as  a 
subscriber  to  your  forthcoming  publication  on  the  life  of  Reubens 
and  send  the  book  as  well  as  the  Bill  to  Fraser  &  Trenholm. 

Your  researches  have  brought  to  light  many  circumstances 
respecting  my  worthy  uncle  E.  Gibert  with  which  I  was  unac- 
quainted. Should  you  be  inclined  to  publish  any  account  of 
him  and  his  works,  you  have  my  full  consent,  and  indeed  I 
would  be  glad  of  it,  and  wish  to  see  it.  I  have  no  idea  of  doing 
anything  of  the  kind  myself.  But  if  you  do  write,  I  would  sug- 
gest a  caution  against  receiving  implicitly  something  said  by 
Mrs.  Grut.  I  do  not  believe  he  was  brought  up  among  Roman 
Catholics,  for  the  family  settled  at  Alais  in  Languedoc  have 
always  been  Protestants,  having  probably  had  their  minds 
imbued  with  sentiments  adverse  to  Rome  since  the  days  of  the 
Albigenses.  I  have  also  great  doubts  of  the  account  of  his 
having  at  one  time  leaned  to  Socinian  principles;  for  such  a 
statement  is  at  variance  with  all  our  traditions.  I  have  con- 
versed with  two  persons  that  remembered  E.  Gibert  and  from 
them  have  learned  that  he  taught  the  French  language  in  Lon- 
don at  an  early  period  after  his  emigration.  How  he  came  to  be 
patronized  with  the  appointment  of  Chaplain  I  have  never 
heard.  Nor  did  I  ever  hear  till  I  received  the  information 
from  you  of  his  being  distinguished  by  the  notice  of  Lord  Auck- 
land. I  am  afraid  that  it  is  too  late  to  gain  any  further  advices 
of  my  good  Great-Uncle;  and  can  not  but  regret  that  his  corres- 


James  Louis  Petigru  343 

pondence  where  we  would  have  been  likely  to  get  some  insight 
into  his  life  and  adventures,  has  perished. 

Now  I  wish  to  engage  you  in  another  -pursuit — the  investi- 
gation of  an  obscure  subject — the  Life  of  Louis  Dumesnil  de 
St.  Pierre.  Mr.  Rivers  tells  me  he  has  forwarded  to  you  a  copy 
of  our  second  volume,  of  the  Collections  of  our  Society,  made  up 
in  great  part  of  materials  furnished  by  you.  If  he  had  not  done 
so  already,  I  would.  At  page  194  Extract  from  Vol.  XXV 
under  date  1771  Dec.  18,  his  name  is  found.  He  is  connected 
with  out  traditions,  but  I  have  no  other  account  of  him,  except 
of  a  duel,  and  of  his  fall  in  a  battle  with  Indians.  But  there  is 
a  book  called  "St  Pierre  on  the  Vine,"  which  I  have  a  notion  was 
written  by  this  man.  It  was  in  a  Public  Library  in  Columbia, 
that  I  saw  it,  but  in  the  lapse  of  time  it  has  disappeared.  You 
can  no  doubt  get  at  the  book  through  the  British  Museum.  I 
request  you  to  see  whether  it  contains  anything  to  identify  the 
writer  with  our  St  Pierre:  and  if  there  is  anything  to  be  learned 
besides  concerning  the  St  Pierre  whose  name  is  connected  with 
New  Bordeaux,  it  will  be  a  very  acceptable  present.  At  all 
events  I  v/ill  ask  you  to  transcribe  the  memorial,  which  vour 
Extract  refers  to,  and  any  other  papers  that  seem  to  throw  light 
on  the  subject. 

There  is  another  inquiry  more  hopeless  in  which  I  would  be 
glad  to  enlist  your  services.  It  is  to  ascertain  something  of  the 
history  of  one  Jean  de  la  Howe,  who  was  a  conspicuous  figure 
among  the  people  of  New  Bordeaux.  He  died  in  1797.  He 
left  a  considerable  property  to  found  an  agricultural  school, 
which  exists  in  a  flourishing  condition;  but  those  who  enjoy  the 
bounty  are  ignorant  of  almost  everything  touching  their  bene- 
factor except  his  name.  He  was  a  native  of  Hanover,  and  served 
long  as  a  surgeon  in  the  English  Armies.  It  there  are  any 
records,  in  which  the  names  of  the  Medical  Staff  are  preserved, 
I  would  be  glad  to  know  what  is  said  of  him.  He  was  French  in 
his  character  tho'  he  spoke  English  with  facihty  and  must  have 
been  in  South  Carolina  as  early  as  1760. 

I  will  add  only  one  more  topic,  which  is  to  inquire  whether 
Joseph  Samuel  Pettigrew,  Practitioner  of  Medicine,  and  as  I 
have  understood  a  lecturer  on  Egyptian  Antiquities,  is  living 
and  where. 

My  friends  in  Liverpool  will  honor  your  drafts,  tor  what  you 
may  draw  on  my  account,  which  will  be  paid  with  thanks, 
Dear  Sir,  of 

Yours  truly, 

Mr.  Petigru  regarded  want  of  punctuality  as  a  grievous 
offence.  One  Sunday  after  church  his  grandson,  James,  not 
feeling  very  well,  retired  to  his  room  after  taking  the  precaution 


344  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

to  tell  Sandy,  the  head  waiter,  to  call  him  when  the  guests, 
before  dinner,  assembled  in  the  parlor.  As  was  usual  Sandy 
told  Sam,  and  Sam  told  Tat,  the  fly  brush  boy,  and  he  was  sent 
out  on  an  errand;  each  one  doing  his  duty  by  shifting  it  to  some 
one  else.  When  James  was  notified  he  hurried  down.  When  he 
reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  expecting  to  enter  the  parlor  on  the 
left,  Sammy,  with  a  flourish,  opened  the  dining  room  door  to  the 
right.  Here  to  his  horror  were  about  a  dozen  people  already 
seated  at  the  table.  He  did  not  have  the  presence  of  mind  to 
run,  but  feeling  innocent  of  any  delinquency  politely  went 
around  the  table,  shook  hands,  and  took  his  seat. 

That  night  when  he  was  quietly  reading  at  the  dining  room 
table  about  nine  o'clock,  Mr.  Petigru  returned.  He  saluted  him 
as  usual  and  resumed  his  book.  Mr.  Petigru  walked  up  and 
down  two  or  three  times  and  then  sharply  said,  "My  friend,  I 
want  a  word  with  you."  He  then  spoke  of  the  want  of  respect 
and  rudeness  towards  his  guests  as  well  as  himself,  that  had  been 
shown  by  one  coming  in  late  to  dinner  with  a  scowl  on  his  face, 
and  disturbing  the  whole  party.  James  meekly  said,  "Allow 
me  to  explain,  sir,  that  I  certainly  had  no  intention  of  showing 
want  of  consideration  or  disrespect."  He  said,  "There  is  no 
explanation,  sir.  Your  conduct  speaks  for  itself,  and  as  to 
intention,  do  you  suppose  that  when  a  man  is  hung  from  the 
gallows,  he  started  life  with  the  intention  of  being  hanged?" 

When  he  paused  James  bolted  from  the  room  to  the  hall, 
seized  his  hat  and,  in  a  fury,  rushed  out  of  the  house,  slamming 
the  street  door  with  a  tremendous  bang.  To  let  slam  any  door 
in  the  Broad  street  house  was  an  unpardonable  crime.  Mrs. 
Petigru's  bell  was  immediately  heard  to  jingle  violently;  once, 
twice,  three  times.  This  was  to  summon  her  various  maids  to 
inquire  about  the  outrage.  James  immediately  made  up  his 
mind  to  run  away  to  sea.  He  went  to  the  dock,  but  he  did  not 
find  there  the  usual  "ship  in  the  stream"  awaiting  him.  How- 
ever, a  shipkeeper  told  him  to  come  back  in  the  morning.  Sud- 
denly he  heard  the  last  bell  begin  to  ring,  and  he  then  remem- 
bered that  he  had  promised  to  bring  home  his  cousin,  Adele 
King.  He  soon  told  her  his  trouble.  She  laughed  at  him  for 
having  come  into  the  dining  room,  but  immediately  took  up  his 
cause.  It  was  a  beautiful  moonlight  night  and  they  walked 
around  the  Battery.     She  soothed   him,  and,  being  a  young 


James  Louis  Petigru  345 

woman  with  a  deal  of  common  sense,  advised  him  to  go  home, 
and  to  insist  on  telling  the  whole  story  to  his  grandfather  in  the 
morning,  and  make  his  peace  with  his  grandmother  as  best  he 
could.  However,  things  had  taken  a  lucky  turn.  Whenever 
anything  unusual  was  going  on  in  the  household  there  was  always 
sure  to  be  someone  listening  at  the  door.  Nanny,  the  first  maid 
of  Mrs.  Petigru,  was  censor  of  the  establishment.  She  had 
reported  that  "Ole  Massa  holler  at  Mas'  Jeams  an'  mak  'um 
cry,  an'  he  run  outa  de  house  an'  dat  mak  de  doah  slam,"  con- 
sequently Mr.  Petigru  was  the  culprit  and  James  the  injured 
party.  To  reach  his  room  James  had  to  pass  the  door  of  Mrs. 
Petigru.  To  his  surprise  it  was  open,  and  she  was  on  the  watch 
for  him.  She  in  a  gentle  voice  hailed  him,  "Come  here,  my 
son;  come  here,  my  son. "  Everything  had  been  smoothed  over, 
and  with  the  greatest  sympathy  she  listened  to  his  story.  Just 
then  Mr.  Petigru,  bedroom  candle  in  hand,  entirely  uncon- 
scious of  any  storm,  passed  the  door.  She  called  to  him,  and 
with  a  look  of  resignation  he  faced  the  coming  tornado.  Then 
ensued  a  most  comical  as  well  as  a  most  painful  scene.  She 
insisted  that  James  should  explain  why  he  was  late  for  dinner 
which  he  did  in  a  few  words.  Mr.  Petigru  listened  with  patience 
and  then  said:  "James,  I  find  that  I  have  done  you  a  great 
injustice,  and  I  humbly  ask  your  pardon  and  forgiveness." 

There  are  few  men  of  seventy  who  would  thus  speak  to  a  cub 
of  fourteen.  This  episode  effected  an  immense  change  in  the 
boy;  from  having  been  inclined  to  be  rebellious  he  was  com- 
pletely subdued  by  this  magnanimity.  It  served  to  draw 
grandfather  and  grandson  closer  together.  Mr.  Petigru  ceased 
to  speak  ironically  of  James  as  the  "  amiable  misogynist. "  The 
boy  overcame  his  awe  and  soon  found  him  a  most  delightful 
companion.  Ever  afterwards  Mr.  Petigru  would  '  request," 
or  say  "it  would  be  most  gratifying  to  me  for  you  to"  do  so  and 
so,  and  his  slightest  wish  was  most  cheerfully  obeyed. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  June  17,  1859. 
My  dear  Sister: 

*  *  *  No  news  could  have  pleased  me  more  than  that  the 
acorns  have  come  up,  for  I  was  very  dubious  about  them.  The 
notice  was  an  augury  of  good  fortune,  for  today  we  have  an 


346  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

intimation  that  the  Bridge*  case  is  reversed,  which  is  $30,000 
to  the  railroad  and  a  great  deal  to  me  in  credit.  Though  at 
three-score  and  ten  credit  is  not  as  joyful  a  it  was  fifty  years 
ago,  yet  even  age  has  its  sensibilities.  I  returned  from  Savan- 
nah on  Wednesday  morning.  The  rumor  of  Thursday  may  be 
groundless,  but  it  is  something  to  have  come  so  near  success  to 
divide  opinion,  even  if  one  has  not  succeeded. 

Johnston  has  sailed.  His  man,  Nat,  desired  me  to  say  to  his 
master  when  I  wrote  that  he  was  already  counting  the  days  till 
he  should  see  him  again.  Said  I,  "Nat,  is  that  sincere,  or  does 
it  come  from  the  teeth  outwards?"  "Sir,"  says  he,  "it  comes 
from  my  heart."  With  poor  Nat's  sentiment  I  will  conclude 
and  not  be  ashamed  to  appropriate  it  to  myself  in  relation  to 
you  and  Mary  and  Badwell. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Badwell,  5  September,  1859. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  Our  atmosphere  has  been  stirred  in  an  unusual 
degree  by  a  revival  in  our  neighborhood,  which  has  become  a 
perfect  storm.  It  began  on  Friday,  the  27th  August,  so  this  is 
the  10th  day  of  active  preaching  and  praying.  A  prayer  meet- 
ing in  the  morning,  two  sermons  during  the  day  and  the  inter- 
vals filled  by  psalms  and  hymns.  And  what  is  really  strange 
to  me,  on  Sunday  last,  Mr.  Hill,  the  preacher,  seemed  as  fresh  as 
if  he  was  just  beginning  the  campaign.  I  was  rendered  very 
sorry  by  a  letter  on  Saturday  from  one  Clenkscales,  who  says 
he  has  Sammy's  wife,  and  rather  than  part  them  offers  to  buy 
or  sell.  The  wife  would  be  of  no  use  to  me  and  I  have  no  right 
to  sell  Sammy,  for  he  belongs  to  Ma,  and  I  more  than  doubt 
whether  she  will  be  as  willing  to  make  a  sacrifice  for  the  mar- 
riage union  as  I.     *     *     * 

Your  Papa. 


*The  South  Carolina  Railroad  bridge  from  Hamburg  to  Augusta.  Mr.  Petigru, 
considering  that  he  had  only  defended  the  railroad  from  an  act  of  injustice, 
declined  to  make  any  charge  for  his  services.  However,  the  railroad  presented 
him  with  six  acre  lots  in  Summerville. 


James  Louis  Petigru  347 


CHAPTER  XLII 

Slavery;  Besselleu;  George  Broad;  Passage  to  Liberia; 
The  Smalley  Case;  Old  Tom;  Return  of  a  Miscreant; 
Daddy  Lunnon 

As  regards  the  nstitution  of  slavery,  Mr.  Petigru  held  the 
same  views  as  did  Washington,  Madison  and  other  fathers  of 
the  Constitution.  In  one  of  his  letters  he  writes:  "So  much  am 
I  a  disciple  of  Locke  and  Montesquieu  that  my  mind  does  not 
balance  between  freedom  and  slavery." 

He  considered  slavery  in  itself  a  great  social  and  political 
wrong  and  the  ruin  of  the  States  of  temperate  climate.  As  he 
lived  in  a  community  where  slaves  as  property  were  recognized 
by  law,  he  did  not  think  it  a  wrong  inflicted  by  himself  on 
"Sandy"  or  "Nanny,"  but  a  wrong  to  humanity.  He  well 
understood  the  capacity  and  limitations  of  all  of  those  who  came 
under  his  hand.  He,  with  the  greatest  forbearance  and  patience, 
tried  to  improve  their  moral  and  physical  condition  and  thus 
raise  them  in  the  scale  of  civilization.  In  writing  about  his 
plantation  December  25,  1835,  he  says:  "The  onlv  thing  to 
flatter  my  vanity  as  a  proprietor  is  the  evidence  and  striking 
improvement  in  the  moral  and  physical  condition  of  the  negroes 
since  they  have  been  under  my  administration.  When  I  took 
them  they  were  naked  and  destitute.  Now  there  is  hardly  one 
that  has  not  a  pig,  at  least,  and  with  few  exceptions  they  can 
kill  their  own  poultry  when  they  please." 

"I  have  heard  him  say  that  in  the  condition  of  the  negro  in 
this  country  the  happiest  lot  for  him  was  to  belong  to  some 
humane  master  whose  interest  it  was  to  protect  him  as  property 
and  thus  secure  to  him  the  enjoyment  of  those  few  rights  which 
the  law  allowed  him."* 

Although  his  ideas  of  slavery  were  diametrically  opposed  to 
the  general  view  of  the  South  he  was  no  abolitionist.  His 
respect  for  law,  justice,  and  established  institutions  caused  him 


*Lecture  of  J.  D.  Pope. 


348  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

to  deprecate  any  sudden  change   as  being  equally  mischievous 
and  cruel  to  the  black  man  as  well  as  to  his  owner. 

He  was  always  a  Freesoiler,  was  opposed  to  the  extension  of 
slavery  over  one  foot  of  free  soil,  and  would  have  been  glad  to 
see  it  shut  in  the  States  where  it  existed  and  die  out  a  natural 
death  by  competition.  A  few  days  after  the  firing  on  the 
Star  oj  the  West  in  Charleston  harbor,  he  said,*  "  I  never  believed 
that  slavery  would  last  a  hundred  years;  now  I  know  it  won't 

last  five." 

The  rights  of  free  negroes  Mr.  Petigru  was  always  defending. 
He  was  a  champion  to  whom  they  flew  as  a  sure  refuge.  The 
following  letters  are  grouped,  regardless  of  their  chronological 
order,  for  the  purpose  of  more  clearly  displaying  Mr.  Petigru's 
attitude  of  mind  toward  slavery  and  the  general  condition  of  the 
negro  in  the  South. 

TO  J.    p.    DEVEAUX 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  18  July,  1853. 
Dear  Sir: 

Toney  is  a  man  that  has  the  confidence  of  his  owner,  and  of 
course  a  character  among  people  of  his  degree,  that  he  would 
not  like  to  lose;  and  in  that  I  think  he  is  right.  You  are  guar- 
dian, I  understand,  for  a  free  man,  or  a  man  not  free,  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Verdier,  called  Richard,  a  stable  keeper  in  St.  Philip  street. 
He  has  accused  Toney  of  poisoning  his  horses.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  accusation  is  nothing  more  than  the  expression  of  gen- 
eral ill  will  and  that  he  does  not  believe  it  himself.  But  as  I 
have  reason  to  suppose  he  has  made  you  acquainted  with  his 
story,  and  as  I  stand  towards  Miss  Webb  in  the  same  sort  of 
relation  that  you  do  to  Mrs.  Verdier,  I  request  your  assistance  to 
quell  this  quarrel.  I  have  forbid  Toney  going  near  Richard's 
premises,  or  meddUng  with  him,  and  if  you  think  it  right  I  hope 
you  will  do  as  much  by  your  man,  and  am  Dear  Sir, 

Yours  truly, 

P.  S. — What  I  mean  is  that  Richard  keep  clear  of  speaking  of 
Toney,  and  learn  that  even  a  negro's  character  is  of  some 
account,  and  ought  to  be  respected  by  another  negro. 

He  did  not  stop  to  count  the  cost,  when  he,  aided  by  Joseph 
H.  Dukes  and  Charles  H.  Simonton,  the  latter  then  a  young 
lawyer  and  afterwards  judge  of  the  United  States  District  Court, 


*Lecture  of  J.  D.  Pope. 


"James  Louis  Petigru  349 

instituted  proceedings  in  the  nature  of  ravishment  of  ward  to 
establish  the  freedom  of  Archie  and  John,  two  colored  pilots  in 
Charleston  harbor,  upon  the  ground  that  for  very  proper 
reasons  these  quadroons  with  their  mother  had  been  emanci- 
pated under  the  humane  provisions  of  the  act  of  1 800.  The  suit 
failed,  but  Mr.  Petigru  believed  he  was  right.  He  believed  that 
they  had  been  unjustly  deprived  of  their  liberty,  and  so  believ- 
ing he  struck  in  their  behalf.* 

He  did  not  stop  to  balance  the  consequences  when  he  took 
up  the  cause  of  the  illegitimate  children  of  George  Broad,  a 
foreigner  by  birth,  and  for  many  years  an  inhabitant  of  St. 
John  Berkley,  who  died  at  an  advanced  age,  about  the  first  day 
of  May,  1836,  without  ever  being  married;  leaving  an  old  slave, 
an  old  woman  and  her  eleven  children  and  two  grandchildren 
who  were  acknowledged  by  him  as  his  natural  offspring.  By 
his  will  he  gave  the  mother  and  children  and  all  his  estate  to  one 
John  R.  Dangerfield  in  trust  expressly  for  them  without  the 
inter-meddling  of  Dangerfield,  further  than  might  be  necessary 
to  secure  to  the  slaves  the  full  use  and  enjoyment  of  the  said 
estate.  Dangerfield  took  possession  of  the  old  woman  and  her 
children  and  grandchildren,  and  the  estate.  He  permitted  the 
slaves  to  have  the  use  of  their  own  time  according  to  the  will- 
but  sold  three  of  them  and  sold  the  real  estate  and  appropriated 
the  money  to  his  own  use.  After  his  death  his  son  affected  to 
treat  the  said  slaves  as  the  bona  fide  property  of  his  father. 

Petigru  was  of  the  opinion  that  policy  as  well  as  humanity 
and  justice  forbade  the  attempt  to  reduce  to  servitude  people 
who  had  been  practically  free  people  of  colour  all  their  lives. 

He  caused  the  property  to  be  escheated  to  the  State;  and  this 
done  he  proceeded  to  procure  by  his  own  personal  influence  the 
emancipation  of  these  unfortunate  persons  by  act  of  the  legis- 
lature December  19,  1855.  That  the  parties  were  poor  and 
friendless,  and  wronged,  furnished  a  suflicient  reason  for  his 
action.  His  sense  of  right  rebelled  at  the  injustice  that  those 
who  were  intended  to  be  practically  free  should  be  reduced  to 
the  condition  of  absolute  servitude.* 

*J.  D.  Pope. 


350  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

W.   MC  LAIN  TO   PETIGRU 

Colonization  Rooms,  Washington  City, 

28  February,  1854. 
My  dear  Sir: 

Your  esteemed  favor  of  the  24th  inst.  is  ackd.  and  I  am  happy 
to  answer  the  inquiries  which  you  have  made.  Those  "able 
bodied  men  and  women,"  if  of  good  character,  could  do  well  for 
themselves  in  Liberia. 

It  will  cost  $60.00  each  one,  on  a  general  average,  to  transport 
them  there,  and  support  them  six  months,  until  they  are  accli- 
mated and  can  take  care  of  themselves.  They  ought  to  be  well 
supplied  with  clothing,  tools  and  implements  of  husbandry; 
with  cooking  utensils  and  table  furniture,  and  whatever  is 
necessary  to  the  comfort  of  "new  comers  in  a  new  country"; 
for  they  are  expected  to  live  in  their  own  houses,  on  their  own 
land,  and  dependent  on  themselves.  I  hand  you  herewith 
"Information  about  going  to  Liberia,"  which  will  be  of  much 
advantage  to  the  kind  friends  who  have  a  care  for  these  people. 

I  send  you  herewith  a  copy  of  our  last  Annual  Report,  and 
remain  Yours,  dear  sir,  with  true  regard, 

W.  McLain. 

The  Smalley  case  was  another  that  aroused  the  indignation 
of  Mr.  Petigru.  Smalley  was  an  unfortunate  creature  of  no 
means  but  Mr.  Petigru  compelled  him  to  bring  action  for  dam- 
ages. Without  hope  of  fee  or  reward  Mr,  Petigru  confronted 
men  of  wealth  and  influence,  some  of  them  personal  acquaint- 
ances if  not  friends.  It  was  on  this  occasion  he  advised  a  friend 
of  the  opposite  side  to  absent  himself  from  the  trial,  "for," 
said  he,  "I  shall  be  compelled  to  say  some  unpleasant  things." 
His  speech  was  most  eloquent  and  masterly,  and  his  modest 
account  of  his  efforts,  shown  in  the  following  letters,  gives  little 
idea  of  the  effect  it  produced  on  all  who  heard  it. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Columbia,  December  2,  1854. 

My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  made  out  pretty  well  on  Thursday.  Got  a  ver- 
dict for  a  low  Yankee  whom  the  gentry  of  St.  Bartholomew's 
had  abused  and  treated  like  a  dog  merely  because  he  was  a  poor 
Yankee:  not  only  got  a  verdict,  but  an  exemplary  one — $2,500. 
The  vigilance  committee  had  determined  that  no  Yankees 
should  come  among  them  and,  in  pursuance  of  this  determin- 
ation, seized  this  man,  a  wood  chopper,  tied  him  and  carried  him 


'James  Louis  Petigrii  351 

to  jail,  and  under  the  ridiculous  pretense  that  he  had  stolen  a 
piece  of  rope,  whipped  him  publicly.  General  Martin  and  Mr. 
Treville  defended  the  action,  and  labored  hard  to  involve  my 
client  and  me  in  the  odium  of  abolitionism.  But  they  signally 
failed.  This  case  has  been  the  only  thing  in  my  head  for  the 
last  week.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  william  elliott 

Charleston,  14th  December,  1854. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

*  *  *  So  you  have  heard  of  Smalley  and  are  under  the  com- 
mon mistake  of  supposing  that  the  Verdict  was  the  result  of  a  great 
speech.  I  give  you  my  word,  that  the  speech  did  not  satisfy 
even  myself,  an  indulgent  sort  of  man  at  any  time  and  certain 
to  be  so  in  this  case.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  mere  improvisation. 
Not  one  of  the  good  things,  that  I  had  in  my  mind,  was  broached. 
The  gallant  Ingraham,  who  covered  the  Austrian  brig  with  his 
guns,  because  Kosta  said  he  claimed  the  rights  of  a  citizen; 
Calas,  in  whose  behalf  Voltaire  roused  all  Europe;  Verres  and  a 
whole  army  of  such  instances,  all  disappeared.  Treville  made 
such  a  downright  appeal  to  party  and  prejudice  and  called  for 
a  verdict;  on  grounds  that  confounded  me  with  my  client  to 
such  a  degree,  I  felt  so  much  for  my  own  wrongs,  as  to  forget  the 
victims  of  historical  wickedness  and  tyranny.  The  speech,  if 
it  could  be  recalled,  therefore,  would  not  come  up  to  your  antici- 
pations or  even  those  of  less  fastidious  judges.  I  had  said  to 
Tom  Rhett,  that  I  defended  Smalley  as  I  would  defend  him,  if 
he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  fanatic  crew,  that  were  going  to  try  him 
as  a  kidnapper,  on  suspicion.  Treville  arraigned  me  for  the 
saying,  as  putting  Rhett  on  the  same  footing  with  an  abol- 
itionist, taking  for  granted  that  Smalley  was  one.  I  commenced 
by  reasserting  what  I  had  said  and  denying  that,  in  doing  so, 
I  had  said  anything  inconsistent  with  Southern  Honor.  That 
was  my  guard  and  the  event  showed  the  superiority  of  the 
sentiments  that  are  common  to  humanity,  over  temporary 
excitement.  The  Legislature  have  really  done  all  they  could 
to  make  the  case  their  own.  Farmer  was  made  Master-in-Chan- 
cery,  avowedly  to  enable  him  to  pay  the  verdict,  and  Treville 
Lieut.-Governor,  to  console  him  for  his  defeat.  I  am  afraid 
poor  Farmer  will  never  get  security,  for,  his  friends  are  very  shy 
of  that  sort  of  solidarity.     *     *     * 

Your  friend, 

Tom  and  Prince  were  inherited  by  Mr.  Petigru's  mother  from 
her  brother  Joseph  Gibert.     About  four  years  after  her  death  in 


352  {    Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

1830,  Prince,  the  elder,  whose  wife  belonged  to  a  neighbor,  came 
to  Mr.  Petigru  and  said  that  as  he  had  long  been  a  faithful  ser- 
vant of  the  family  he  thought  he  ought  to  be  free,  and  he  wished 
to  be  so.  His  desire  was  immediately  satisfied  and  he  received 
his  papers  of  manumission.  Then  Tom  was  called  and  asked 
if  he  also  desired  to  have  his  liberty.  He  replied  that  he  had 
his  wife  and  his  children  with  him  and  was  contented,  and  said, 
"I  shall  remain  as  I  am."  Tom  was  always  a  privileged 
character.  At  Badwell  he  had  his  house,  his  field,  his  pony,  his 
cows,  pigs,  chickens,  and  also  his  jug.  At  Christmas  he  received 
a  present  of  ?20  in  gold.  During  the  winter  he  came  to  Charles- 
ton and  paid  visits  to  the  various  members  of  the  family.  At 
the  house  of  Mr.  Petigru,  in  Broad  street,  he  was  treated  as  a 
distinguished  guest;  but  in  the  yard  he  was  not  looked  upon  with 
much  favor  by  the  delinquents.  The  savage  came  out  and  it 
was  often  with  difficulty  that  he  could  be  restrained  from 
straightening  out  the  whole  establishment.  He  maintained 
that  "Marse  Jeems  had  more  sassy,  no-'count  niggers  in  his 
yard  than  anybody  in  the  city."  Every  afternoon  after  dinner 
Tom  was  invited  to  the  back  piazza,  a  decanter  was  brought  and 
he  had  his  dram  of  brandy.  Mr.  Petigru  would  seat  himself  on 
the  steps  and  he  and  Tom  would  tell  old  stories,  and  judging  from 
the  laughter  they  must  have  been  very  amusing.  At  his  death 
he  was  buried  in  the  family  graveyard  not  far  from  the  grave  of 
the  old  pastor.  A  tombstone  with  the  following  inscription  was 
erected  to  his  memory: 

Daddy  Tom 
A  faithful  servant  and  honest 

Departed  this  life 
The  9th  day  of  February  1857 
Born  on  the  place  before  1776 
A  kindly  temper  a  cheerful 
Obedience  and  willingness  to  work 
Concilliated  the  regard  of  those 
Who  treated  him  in  his 
Life  time,  as  a  friend 
And  caused  him  when  he  died 
To  be  buried  like  a  Christian. 


James  Louis  Petigru  353 

Mr.  James  R.  Pringle,  Jr.,  used  to  tell  with  great  gusto  of  an 
occurrence  in  1841  which  greatly  amused  him  and  his  fellow- 
students  in  Mr.  Petigru's  office.  It  seems  that  one  night  when 
he  was  returning  home  he  came  across  a  negro  who  had  been 
arrested  by  a  "guardman"  who  asserted  that  the  pass  was 
wrong.  The  negro,  who  knew  Mr.  Petigru,  appealed  to  him. 
The  trouble  was  the  guardman  was  a  German  who  could  not 
read  English.  Mr.  Petigru  explained  to  him  that  the  pass  was 
correct  and  that  he  had  no  right  to  arrest  the  man,  hearing  which 
the  negro  immediately  bolted.  The  guardman  then  attempted 
to  arrest  Mr.  Petigru  for  releasing  his  prisoner,  at  which  Mr. 
Petigru  promptly  knocked  him  down  and  quietly  went  home. 
The  next  morning  he  received  two  summonses  from  Mayor 
Mintzing's  office  which  he  politely  dismissed.  When  the  third 
summons  was  sent  he  said  to  the  messenger,  "My  friend,  it  is 
most  fortunate  that  I  am  an  humble  and  peaceable  man,  and 

you  tell  Mintzing  that  my  advice  to  him  is  to  go  to  h and 

teach  his  Dutch  myrmidons  to  speak  English  and  not  molest 
law-abiding  citizens  on  their  way  home." 

While  Mr.  Petigru  was  always  ready  to  aid  all  who  had  any 
possible  claim  on  him,  he  was  intolerant  of  anything  like  a  base 
spirit.  Out  of  regard  for  the  family  of  a  man  who  had  been 
convicted  of  whiskey  selling  and  sentenced  to  be  whipped,  Mr. 
Petigru  exerted  himself  to  have  the  sentence  commuted  to 
banishment  from  the  State,  with  the  condition  that  if  the  party 
should  return  the  original  sentence  should  be  executed.  The 
man  left  the  State  and  stayed  away  a  year  or  so,  but  the  pressure 
of  want  and  perhaps  the  force  of  early  associations  induced  him 
at  last  to  give  up  the  struggle.  He  returned  and  took  his  whip- 
ping.    Some  time  after  he  came  unexpectedly  upon  Mr.  Petigru. 

"What  brought  you  back  to  South  Carolina.''"  cried  the  latter 
in  indignant  tones,  the  danger  signal  on  his  forehead  showing 
forth  in  flaming  scarlet. 

"Please,  sir,  Mr.  Petigru,  I  could  not  make  a  living  any- 
where else." 

With  withering  scorn  Mr.  Petigru  retorted,  "Wasn't  hell 
open  r 

Mr.  Petigru's  cook  was  called  Daddy  Lunnon  and  was, 
probably,  the  most  celebrated  artist  in  the  city.  Hamlet,  a 
younger  negro,  was  handed  over  to  him  as  an  apprentice.     One 


354  L,ije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

afternoon  Hamlet  came  to  Mr.  Petigru  with  his  head  tied  up, 
complaining  that  Daddy  Lunnon  had  knocked  him  down  with 
a  stick  of  wood.  Lunnon  was  summoned  and  stated  that  Ham- 
let was  the  most  "no-'count  nigger"  he  ever  had  known. 

Mr.  Petigru  remonstrated  with  Lunnon  about  his  harshness 
and  proceeded  to  give  him  a  lecture  about  the  training  of  youth, 
— that  he  must  be  gentle,  that  he  must  encourage  them,  that  he 
must  strive  to  develop  their  moral  nature. 

Lunnon  listened  to  him  with  a  most  pitiful  look.  When  he 
paused,  Lunnon  said,  "You  have  me  for  cook,  sir?"  "Yes." 
"Do  I  cook  to  suit  you.^"  "Yes,  Lunnon,  no  one  can  do  bet- 
ter." "You  sent  Hamlet  to  me  to  learn  to  cook?"  "Yes." 
"Well,  sir,  I  learned  my  trade  from  Davie  Deas  and  the  same 
Davie  Deas  do  for  me,  T  do  for  Hamlet. " 

With  an  air  of  triumph  he  went  to  his  dominions  and  Mr. 
Petigru,  discomfited,  retired.  Hamlet  eventually  learned  to 
cook,  and,  in  turn,  with  his  apprentices,  continued  the  system  of 
Davie  Deas. 


James  Louis  Petigru  355 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

1860 

Edward  Everett;  White  Sulphur  Springs;  Working  on 
Code;  Political;  Law  about  Guns;  Miss  Cunningham, 
Mt.  Vernon;  Toney  Drunk;  Political;  Secession  of 
South  Carolina 

to  EDWARD  EVERETT 

Charleston,  3  January,  1860, 
My  dear  Mr.  Everett: 

I  have  a  great  deal  to  thank  you  for;  and  have  been  but  slow 
in  acknowledging  your  various  good  offices,  in  the  books  you 
have  presented;  rendered  more  valuable  by  your  autographs. 
But  like  the  ungrateful  race  who  are  always  more  prone  to  ask 
for  new  than  to  render  thanks  for  past  favors  I  am  about  to 
make  application  for  a  still  more  signal  exercise  of  your  benevo- 
lence. For  it  is  nothing  less  than  a  high  degree  of  charity  to 
lend  one's  self  to  such  a  service  as  that  of  becoming  a  petitioner 
for  another.  And  it  is  just  that,  which  I  have  the  temerity  now 
to  wish  to  impose  upon  you. 

In  the  year  1858  at  the  sitting  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massa- 
chusetts in  Boston  was  decided  the  case  of  Atlantic  Bank  vs. 
Merchants  Bank,  which  called  forth  from  the  Court  a  judgment 
which  Themis  herself  might  have  dictated.  The  facts  are  pub- 
lic; the  decision  has  been  made  known,  and  the  readers  of  the 
Monthly  Law  Reporter  are  even  advised  of  the  names  of  the 
distinguished  counsel  who  were  deemed  worthy  of  being  intrusted 
with  the  argument  of  such  a  cause.  But  Little  &  Brown  say 
that  Ch.  J.  Shaw  has  still  reserved  his  opinion,  and  that  8  Gray, 
in  which  it  is  to  appear,  still  labours  in  the  press.  Nor  do  these 
worthy  bibliopolists  seem  to  profess  any  influence  over  the  publi- 
cation. It  so  happens  that  a  case  exactly  similar  (which  is 
rather  breaking  in  on  Lord  Coke's  authority  ''Nullum  simile 
currit  quatum  pedibris")  is  to  come  on  before  Chf.  Justice 
O'Neale  and  his  assessors  in  a  couple  of  weeks.  The  Bank  of 
Charleston  occupy  the  very  ground  that  the  Atlantic  Bank 
stood  upon,  and  they  would  think  no  price  dear  for  a  copy  of 
Chf.  Justice  Shaw's  opinion.  And  if  by  influence  or  by  money, 
the  Reporter  could  be  induced  to  furnish  a  copy  in  i\IS.  or  in 
print,  or  if  the  venerable  Chiet  Justice  would  condescend  to 
allow  a  copy  of  his  judgment  to  be  taken  in  advance,  as  well  as 


356  -^i/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  of  the  other  members  of  the  court,  it  would  be  a  prize  for 
our  friends  greatly  to  rejoice. 

Mv  dear  Mr.  Everett  you  can  judge  whether  it  is  practicable 
to  obtain  in  whole  or  in  part  our  desire  for  a  report  of  this  case  to 
answer  the  present  emergency,  and  to  this  end  if  you  will  lend 
your  aid  the  favor  will  never  be  forgotten  by  my  friends  or  by 
yours  truly, 

P.  S. — My  daughter  has  reached  home  after  much  suffering 
at  sea,  but  is  greatly  comforted  just  now  by  a  spell  of  cold 
weather. 

TO   ALFRED   HUGER 

White  Sulphur  Springs,  5  September,  1860. 
My  dear  Huger: 

*  *  *  The  chief  discourse,  here,  is  about  Lincoln,  for  the 
election  is  only  another  name  for  the  topic  that  involves  the 
many  shades  of  opinion  concerning  the  probable  results  of  having 
such  a  President.  Of  late,  however,  the  notion  of  his  being 
elected  does  not  prevail  so  exclusively.  The  company,  here, 
contains  a  great  number  of  Bell  &  Everett  men,  and  the  fusion 
of  them  and  the  Douglass  men  in  New  York,  inspires  the  san- 
guine with  some  hope  that  New  York  may  be  rescued  from  him; 
and  without  New  York,  it  is  very  reasonably  inferred  that  he 
can  not  be  elected.  But,  even  if  we  are  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment, and  he  carries  the  day  by  the  popular  vote,  I  don't  think 
South  Carolina  will  secede.  If  such  a  thing,  however,  shall  take 
place,  we  may  spare  our  regrets,  for  it  will  prove  that  disruption 
was  inevitable.  No  possible  issue  could  be  more  untenable  than 
to  make  his  bare  election  a  causus  belli,  without  any  overt  act 
against  the  Constitution  or  even,  the  Dred  Scott  decision.  If 
our  planters  were  in  debt,  or  cotton  was  at  5  cents,  as  I  have 
seen  it,  such  a  thing  might  be  likely;  but,  our  magnanimous 
countrymen  are  too  comfortable  for  such  exercise.  Therefore, 
I  don't  believe  they  are  going  to  set  fire  to  the  Union,  though 
there  are  members,  no  doubt,  that  would  like  it.  Mr.  Brecken- 
ridge  is  likely  to  fill  a  place  among  the  folks  that  are  remembered 
as  examples  of  the  sport  of  fortune.  The  split  in  the  Democratic 
party  comes  in  the  nick  of  time  to  mar  all  his  hopes.  His 
friends,  who  endorse  his  own  declarations  of  his  devotions  to  the 
Union,  say  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  bear  the  load  of  South 
Carolina  friendship  with  Yancey  upon  it.  Douglass  runs  to 
beat  him,  and  if  he  is  beaten,  Douglass  gains;  but,  he  doesn't 
run  merely  to  beat  Douglass,  and  the  cup  of  disappointment  will 
have  nothing  in  it  to  relieve  the  taste  of  the  nauseous  draft. 
There  is  nobody  here  like  Mr.  Wirt,  but,  Mr.  Morton,  the  chief 
authority,  is  a  very  gentlemanly  man,  and  I  take  great  pleasure 
in  his  company.     We  are  going  to  the  Sweet  tomorrow,  with 


James  Louis  Petigru  ZSl 

very  little  inclination  on  my  side.  I  hope  Mrs.  Huger  has  come 
through  the  summer  bravely,  that  Charlotte  is  well  and  the 
children  well,  and  that  you  my  dear  friend,  are  well  enough  to 
take  some  interest  in  the  otherwise  dull  effusion  of 

Your  friend, 

P.  S. — Since  closing  the  last  page,  I  have  seen  Vanderhorst, 
and  when  I  told  him  I  was  writing  to  you,  he  desired  me  to  make 
him  remembered,  regretted  you  were  not  here  and  said  he  don't 
write,  because  he  had  nothing  to  put  to  paper. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Greenwood,  September  26,  1860. 
Dear  Sister: 

*  *  *  The  indications  from  the  papers  are  that  a  set  of 
Secessionists  are  to  be  run,  and  the  chance  of  our  friends  does 
not  seem  bright.     *     *     * 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  October  3,  1860. 

*  *  *  Johnston  was  in  North  Carolina;  whether  he  has 
returned  I  don't  know.  His  name  is  withdrawn  as  a  candidate 
and  Henry's  also,  and  we  are  likely  to  have  a  precious  set  of 
members. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Summerville,  October  16,  1860. 

*  *  *  I  have  been  working  away  with  might  and  main  in 
Schroeder's  loft  upon  my  task  [the  codej  and  have  Lowndes  & 
Middleton  now  with  me,  who  are  docile  and  diligent  auxiliaries. 
I  think  we  will  not  stay  much  more  than  a  week  longer  in  this 
place  if  we  can  help  it.  Johnston  comes  sometimes  to  see  us 
and  spends  a  night,  but  never  more  than  one  night  at  a  time, 
though  he  confesses  that  the  pine  land  air  is  good  for  him  and 
even  acknowledges  that  he  likes  it.  I  received  one  letter  from 
Caroline  and  one  from  Sue,  but  it  was  just  as  I  arrived.  Since 
that  time,  which  you  may  not  remember  was  the  27th  September, 
I  have  heard  nothing,  except  by  a  letter  of  Caroline  to  her 
mother.  She  was  then  in  New  York,  and  through  Mr.  Ban- 
croft's interest  had  received  an  invitation  to  the  Prince's  ball. 
*  *  *  But  I  will  not  defer  to  another  time  my  love  to  all 
and  everybody  that  is — Mary  and  Louise  and  Carey  and 
Charles,  and  the  boys  at  Wilmington  and  the  children  at  Cherry 
Hill,  not  forgetting  my  greeting  to  the  poor  nigs,  and  last,  and 
not  by  any  means  least,  you,  the  first  and  eldest  sister  of 

Your  Brother. 


358  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

In  the  year  1859  the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for 
"such  a  code  of  statute  law  as,  if  enacted,  might,  in  connection 
with  the  portions  of  the  common  law  that  would  be  left  unaltered 
constitute  the  whole  body  of  law  in  this  State." 

The  work  was  entrusted  to  a  single  commissioner  with  the 
aid  of  assistants  of  his  own  selection,  and  attaching  a  higher 
salary  to  the  office  than  that  of  any  other  State  officer. 

The  importance  as  well  as  the  difficulty  of  the  work  indicated 
that  a  person  of  extraordinary  abilities  was  contemplated  for 
the  work.  The  choice  of  the  legislature  fell  on  Mr.  Petigru, 
whose  talents,  reputation  as  a  jurist,  general  learning,  high 
character  and  indomitable  industry  was  well  known.  The 
salary  of  the  commissioner  was  fixed  at  five  thousand  dollars 
per  annum,  payable  quarterly,  with  power  to  employ  two  or 
more  assistants  to  receive  jointly  four  thousand  dollars  per 
annum.  He  was  also  authorized  to  expend  five  hundred  dollars 
for  the  purchase  of  such  books  as  were  not  in  the  public  libraries 
of  the  State. 

The  following  year,  according  to  law,  he  submitted  a  report 
to  the  legislature;  he  stated  that  the  general  arrangement  of  the 
work  had  been  borrowed  from  Blackstone. 

The  tautology  and  verboseness  of  Parliamentary  style  in  respect 
to  gender,  number,  mode  and  tense,  which  add  nothing  to  the 
sense  and  greatly  obscure  the  meaning  to  the  mind  of  a  reader 
was  inconsistent  with  the  purpose  of  a  code,  and  in  this  under- 
taking had  been  necessarily  avoided. 

He  pointed  out  where  the  laws  were  confused,  contradictory, 
or  absolutely  deficient  as  to  the  title  to  land,  the  conduct  of 
criminal  cases,  breach  of  trust,  or  destruction  of  a  will.  The 
delicate  power  to  suggest  amendments,  alterations  and  additions 
to  the  existing  laws  was  very  sparingly  used. 

The  war  had  come  on,  yet  such  was  the  force  of  his  personal 
reputation  that  in  the  very  fury  of  secession  he,  an  avowed 
Union  man,  was  chosen  to  codify  the  laws  of  the  State,  and  the 
appointment  was  annually  renewed  by  the  legislature,  every 
member  of  which  was  a  sworn  secessionist. 

After  three  years  of  grinding  labor  with  many  disadvantages 
the  work  was  finished.  He  wished  to  present  it  with  an  address 
to  the  legislature  at  that  session;  afterwards  it  was  proposed 


James  Louis  Petigru  359 

that  he  should  do  so  to  the  commissioners  appointed  to  receive 
it  at  his  office. 

They  twice  called  on  him  for  the  purpose,  but  he  was  too  ill  to 
receive  them. 

Nothing  was  done  towards  the  adoption  of  the  code  until 
after  Mr.  Petigru's  death.  The  legislature  in  1865,  when  things 
were  in  a  most  chaotic  condition,  referred  the  matter  to  the 
House  Judiciary  Committee,  which  reported  adversely  to  its 
adoption  on  the  ground  that  the  work  embodied  as  law  the  views 
of  Mr,  Petigru  as  to  what  the  law  should  be.  Reference  to  the 
statute  creating  the  office  shows  that  that  was  exactly  what  the 
legislature  which  authorized  the  work  had  intended  should  be 
done.  But  of  the  committee  of  seven,  of  whom  only  five  being 
present,  three  of  them  voted  to  reject  it. 

During  the  Republican  administration,  Corbin,  the  Attorney- 
General,  modified  this  code  in  imitation  of  that  of  Vermont. 
Subsequently  a  committee  headed  by  Charles  H.  Simonton, 
afterwards  United  States  Judge,  revised  the  code,  adopting 
Mr.  Petigru's  suggestions  and  recommendations  as  to  new  laws, 
but  instead  of  using  his  system  of  having  it  divided  into  chapters 
in  imitation  of  Blackstone,  it  was  considered  more  convenient 
to  refer  to  the  various  acts  by  numbers. 

TO    EDWARD    EVERETT 

Summerville,  28  October,  1860. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  am  very  much  obliged  by  your  "Life  of  Washington," 
which  I  have  read  with  great  interest,  and  think  a  valuable 
addition  to  American  Biography.  The  events  of  his  life  are 
related  concisely  and  clearly,  and  the  interest  of  the  narrative 
is  not  overlaid  by  collateral  history.  Such  a  Biography  is  well 
adapted  to  become  a  school  book,  and  nobody  could  wish  any- 
thing better  for  the  rising  generation  than  that  their  sentiments 
and  their  style  should  show  that  they  were  familiar  with  the 
Life  of  Washington.  But  I  fear  that  our  aspirations  for  the 
future,  must  be  referred  rather  to  the  generation  that  is  to  come 
after  the  rising  generation  than  to  a  less  distant  period.  The 
prevailing  character  of  our  public  men  is  certainly  copied  after 
anything  rather  than  Washington.  The  most  shameless  egotism, 
and  the  most  sordid  ambition,  are  so  far  from  being  in  disgrace, 
that  they  assume  in  the  common  mind  the  rank  of  popular  virtues. 

But  the  ensuing  week  may  be  fraught  with  events  that  would 
go  far  to  redeem  the  character  of  the  people,  which  now  suffers 


360  J^iJ^-i  Letters  and  Speeches 

awfully  in  the  discredit  that  justly  attaches  to  their  favorites. 
My  own  countrymen  here  in  South  Carolina  are  distempered  to 
a  degree  that  makes  them  to  a  calm  and  impartial  observer  real 
objects  of  pity.  They  believe  anything  that  flatters  their 
delusion  or  their  vanity;  and  at  the  same  time  they  are  credulous 
to  every  whisper  of  suspicion  about  insurgents  or  incendiaries. 
If  Lincoln  is  elected  it  will  give  the  Union  a  great  strain;  yet 
still  I  don't  think  that  this  State  will  secede  alone;  because  the 
country  is  too  prosperous  for  a  revolution;  and  the  same  reason 
is  likely  to  keep  Alabama  and  Georgia  from  taking  the  plunge. 

If  Lincoln  fails  and  our  ticket  comes  next, — two  very  doubtful 
contingencies,  I  suppose, — there  certainly  will  be  reason  to  think 
better  of  Demos,  and  to  be  doubly  thankful  to  Providence. 
Hoping  while  there  is  hope  and  thinking  more  and  more  of  the 
debt  which  society  owes  to  those  who  imitate  the  virtues  and 
spread  the  influence  of  Washington,  I  am  my  dear  sir, 

Yours  truly, 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  October  29,  1860. 
*  *  *  My  task  proceeds  slowly.  It  is  extremely  tedious 
to  pick  out  the  meaning  of  various  Acts  and  weave  them  into 
something  like  a  consistent  discourse.  James  Lowndes  and 
Middleton  are  very  assiduous  and  perfectly  willing,  and  if  we 
onlv  had  to  copy  the  work  would  grow  rapidly  in  bulk.  I  have 
begun  to  print  and  go  down  tomorrow  to  examine  the  proof- 
sheets.  My  days  pass  very  monotonously  and  I  see  no  one 
because  I  have  no  time  for  conversation  during  the  day  and  too 
much  fatigued  to  go  out  at  night.  *  *  *  I  am  afraid  Tol- 
bert  has  the  law  on  his  side  about  the  firearms.*  It  is  not  con- 
sidered neighborly  to  interfere  in  such  a  case.  The  law  about 
negroes  is  laid  down  with  great  rigor  and  if  it  was  put  in  force 
constantly,  would  greatly  interfere  with  the  comfort  not  only  of 
the  poor  nigs,  but  the  poor  buckra,  too.  The  master  would 
be  in  a  situation  like  that  of  the  jailer,  whose  confinement  is 
almost  as  strict  as  that  of  his  prisoner.  But  in  the  distempered 
state  of  the  public  mind  we  must  expect  to  meet  with  some 
annoyance,  and  if  our  neighbors  think  fit  to  confiscate  our  guns, 
we  must  take  it  as  one  of  the  penalties  of  society. 


*J.  P.  Carson  had  lent  his  gun  to  Andrew  to  shoot  squirrels,  and  it  had  been 
seized. 


James  Louis  Petigru  361 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summcrvillc,  November  5,  1860. 

*  *  *  Miss  Cunningham,*  through  one  of  her  assistant 
secretaries,  writes  me  that  Lincoln's  election  is  likely  to  blow  up 
Mt.  Vernon,  for  though  the  purchase  money  is  paid  there  is 
nothing  to  stock  it,  and  contributions  are  almost  at  a  stand. 
Before  we  hear  from  one  another  the  die  will  be  cast,  but  I  don't 
think  the  hazard  so  great  as  many  do,  for  it  is  not  easy  to  undo 
the  complicated  machinery  of  that  great  engine  or  government. 
Adieu.  Your  Brother. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Charleston,  10  November,  1860. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  I  am  surprised  that  you  are  so  indifferent  about 
returning,  as  not  to  have  fixed  any  time  yet.  It  is  not  a  pleasant 
place  to  return  to;  nearly  the  last  hope  of  safety  is  cut  off  by  the 
last  news  trom  Georgia,  implying  the  consent  of  the  majority  to 
follow  Carolina.  We  shall  be  envied  by  posterity  for  the  privi- 
lege that  we  have  enjoyed  of  living  under  the  benign  rule  of  the 
United  States.  The  Constitution  is  only  two  months  older  than 
I.  My  life  will  probably  be  prolonged  till  I  am  older  than  it  is. 
I  must  write  briefly,  and  have  actually  just  turned  a  gentleman 
out  of  the  office,  because  his  business  was  not  important  enough 
to  justify  interruption.  I  saw  little  Addy  Wednesday  was  a 
week,  when  I  snatched  a  brief  interval  with  our  Cherry  Hill  and 
George  Street  friends  in  the  car.     Adieu. 

Your  Parent. 

TO  MRS.  jane   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  13  November,  1860. 
My  dear  Jane: 

You  see  how  saving  I  am  getting  to  be,  as  I  will  not  waste  a 
sheet  of  paper  because  it  is  scratched.  There  is  certainly  reason 
for  it,  and  we  have  fallen  on  evil  days.  It  is  sorrowful  to  see 
things  that  impair  our  respect  for  our  countrymen,  and  nothing 
can  be  more  efficient  to  produce  that  feeling  than  the  scenes  that 
are  passing.  It  is  barely  possible  that  Georgia  may  recoil  from 
the  [action]  that  the  Secessionists  are  driving  to.  The  South 
Carolina  men  show  by  their  precipitancy  that  they  are  afraid 
to  trust  the  second  thought  of  even  their  own  people,  and  if  the 
Georgians  take  time  to  reflect  they  will  probably  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  action.  But  that  is 
very  uncertain. 

*Miss  Ann  Pamela  Cunningham,  Regent  of  the  Mount  Vernon  .Association. 
Mr.  Petigru  was  always  her  legal  advisor,  and  wrote  the  constitution  of  the 
Mount  Vernon  -Association  in  1856. 


362  I-i}^-,  Letters  and  Speeches 

*  *  *  Last  night  the  West  Point  Mill  was  burnt;  the 
Governor  had  ?5,000  in  it.  I  was  commiserating  him  and  Joe 
under  the  load  of  debt  that  they  are  caught  in  this  revolutionary 
day,  when  this  new  addition  to  the  Governor's  troubles  is  upon 
him.     *     *     *     Adieu. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Broad  Street,  November  20,  1860. 
My  dear  Sister: 

Poor  Beasley!  Who  would  have  thought  that  he  would  earn 
a  name  in  history  as  a  secession  victim.  But  these  things  all 
are  awful  foreboding  of  what  is  to  come  when  the  passions  of 
the  mob  are  let  loose  and  the  truth  is  our  gentlemen  are  little 
distinguished  in  a  mob  from  the  rabble.     *     *     * 

I  am  very  busy  with  the  code  and  still  backward. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  November  27,  1860. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  The  prospect  does  not  improve.  There  is  little 
hope  of  reaction  till  too  late.  I  am  going  to  Columbia  tomorrow, 
with  a  portion  of  my  report  and  John  Middleton  will  bring  up 
the  rest,  I  hope,  on  Saturday.  I  have  no  idea  that  they  will 
continue  the  commission,  for  they  will  have  more  to  do  than  they 
know  how. 

*  *  *  One  remarkable  thing  is  the  prevalence  of  fear 
among  them  that  are  rushing  into  an  unnecessary  and  untried 
danger.  It  appears  that  Ben  Huger  is  to  leave  the  United  States 
service  and  take  command  of  the  South  Carolina  army.  I've 
no  idea  that  there  will  be  any  fighting  until  war  breaks  out  on 
the  frontier.  Our  friend  Johnston  is  busy  in  the  throng.  He 
is  going  to  take  command  of  the  new  rifle  regiment  here  and  is 
full  of  fight. 

The  Governor  [ex-Governor  Allston]  goes  up  to  Columbia 
with  me.  He  is  very  serious  and  seems  to  appreciate  the 
trouble  ahead.  He  comforts  himself  that  the  Yankees  are  to 
blame  for  everything;  but  that  is  but  a  "flattering  unct  on." 
I  am  glad  that  the  people  show  a  good  disposition  and  I  hope 
that  they  will  disarm  the  suspicions  of  the  sensitive  Southerners 
by  attending  strictly  to  their  business  and  giving  no  ofi^ence. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Columbia,  December  6,  1860. 
My  dear  Sister: 

*  *  *  I  am  glad  that  James  is  with  you  and  likely  to 
acquire  a  love  of  the  country,  but  God  knows  where  our  country 


James  Louis  Petigru  363 

may  be.  In  this  place  there  is  unanimity  and  there  is  discord, 
both  in  the  highest  degree.  All  are  galloping  down  the  same 
road  and  every  one  striving  to  he  ahead.  More  jealousy  among 
the  members  and  more  mutual  distrust  I  have  never  seen.  My 
prediction  is  that  from  this  seeming  unanimity  will  proceed,  in  a 
short  time,  bitter  animosities  and  divisions.  But,  though 
generally  it  may  be  a  consolation  to  think  of  a  reaction  when 
the  public  mind  is  distempered,  it  will  probably  come  too  late 
for  us.  To  think  of  a  sober  man  like  Allston  avowing  his  readi- 
ness to  sink  the  welfare  of  his  country  forever,  if  that  be  necessary 
to  carry  out  Secession,  rather  than  submit  to  the  rule  of  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  even  if  he  were  assured  that  Lincoln  would  prove 
a  constitutional  and  conservative  ruler!  My  old  friend.  Dr. 
Porcher,  has  not  escaped  the  contagion;  even  he,  the  host  of 
Henry  Clay,  is  ready  to  cut  the  tie  of  country  between  us  and 
all  free  States.  Buchanan's  message  is  out.  You  will  see  it  in 
Dr.  Gibbes'  paper.  Like  himself,  it  is  a  shuffling,  insincere  and 
shabby  performance.  He  has  receded  from  one  point  to  another 
until  he  has  given  up  all  pretension  to  the  respect  of  anybody. 
The  Secessionists  will  not  be  interfered  with,  at  least  by  him,  and 
his  pusillanimity  will  not  conciliate  the  South,  but  will  greatly 
disgust  those  States  that  are  attached  to  the  L^nion,  and  lead, 
perhaps,  to  a  general  repudiation  of  the  Constitution  as  an 
inefficient  and  inadequate  scheme  of  government.  It  is  still 
somewhat  doubtful  what  Georgia  may  do;  and  the  fate  of  the 
country  hangs  on  her  decision. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  December  24,  1860. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Caroline  is  greatly  inclined  to  take  James  north  for 
his  education.  The  present  state  of  things  here  may  well  make 
us  all  doubt  whether  it  is  such  a  habitation  as  promises  security. 
I  do  not  undertake  to  advise  upon  it.  I  made  a  great  mistake  in 
1832,  when  I  might  have  quit  the  country  myself,  with  the  pros- 
pect ot  doing  something.  Here  I  have  stayed  till  the  active 
period  ot  life  is  over.  I  could  not  leave  Badwell  without  a 
struggle  now;  then  it  was  comparatively  indifferent.  It  would 
have  been  easy  to  take  you  along  then,  bur  now  you  are  ramified 
into  such  a  cluster  of  associations  that  I  could  hardly  hope  to  do 
so.  But  Mary  would  be  easier  to  persuade  if  she  was  willing. 
If  she  held  back  there  is  none  out  of  my  own  house  that  I  could 
count  upon  to  share  my  exile.  So  if  they  don't  push  me  to  a 
decision,  I  suppose  that  without  even  deciding  I  will  wait  here 
till  it  is  all  over. 

The  officers  of  the  Army  and  Navy  are  much  stirred  by  the 
present  commotion.     Jack  Hamilton  has  resigned.     That  was 


364  l^ij^t  Letters  and  Speeches 

to  be  expected,  after  the  example  of  his  brother,  Dan.  But  I 
have  heard  with  astonishment  that  James  North  is  considering 
the  question.  It  would  be  a  great  mistake.  He  is  a  Virginian; 
Carolina  gave  him  birth,  but  who  is  to  give  him  bread  if  he  comes 
here?  A  Southern  navy  is  a  poor  dependence.  It  could  offer 
to  his  ambition  nothing  better  than  a  gunboat.  And  to  look 
to  the  new  Republic  for  patronage  would  be  a  sore  disappoint- 
ment. Great  diversity  already  exhibits  itself  among  our  seces- 
sionists. Those  who  have  contributed  most  to  getting  up  the 
excitement  openly  contemn  all  idea  of  forming  a  second  associa- 
tion after  the  plan  of  the  United  States;  and  they  are  likely  to 
carry  the  day. 

I  am  glad  to  find  such  an  evidence  of  a  respect  for  justice  as 
the  example  of  a  man  like  Jennings  venturing  so  much  trouble  for 
a  free  negro.  I  am  much  more  surprised  at  the  integrity  of  the 
Alabama  man  than  at  the  villainy  of  our  Edgefield  friends. 
For,  really,  when  the  opening  of  the  slave  trade  is  making  such 
progress,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  men  should  apply  the  principles 
to  a  case  where  the  temptation  is  so  great.  *  *  *  You  may 
see  in  the  papers  things  to  make  you  think  that  the  poor  fellows 
in  the  fort  here  are  likely  to  be  killed  or  captured.  You  need 
not  grieve  for  them,  but  for  the  fools  that  make  the  attempt. 
All  Charleston  and  all  the  volunteers  can  not  take  Fort  Moultrie 
by  assault. 

Yours  in  brotherhood  and  parentage. 

On  the  20th  of  December,  1860,  the  Ordinance  of  Secession 
was  passed.     The  Hon.  J.  D.  Pope  relates  the  following: 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Convention  adjourned  from 
Columbia  to  Charleston  and  sat  in  St.  Andrew's  Hall.  On  the 
morning  of  the  passage  of  the  Ordinance  of  Secession  I  was 
going  down  Broad  Street  and  saw  Mr.  Petigru  coming  up 
towards  me.  We  approached  each  other  at  the  City  Hall,  and 
just  at  that  moment  the  bells  of  the  city  pealed  forth  in  gladsome 
and  general  unison.  Mr.  Petigru  rushed  up  and  exclaimed: 
"Where's  the  fire?"  I  said:  "Mr.  Petigru,  there  is  no  fire; 
those  are  the  joy  bells  ringing  in  honor  of  the  passage  of  the 
Ordinance  of  Secession."  He  turned  instantly  and  said,  "I 
tell  you  there  is  a  fire;  they  have  this  day  set  a  blazing  torch  to 
the  temple  of  constitutional  liberty  and,  please  God,  we  shall 
have  no  more  peace  forever." 

In  an  instant  he  turned  and  was  gone. 


James  Louis  Petigru  365 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

January-March,  1861 

Edward  Everett;  Comments;  Governor  and  Mrs.  Pickens; 
Shuffling  Buchanan;  Davis  Becomes  President;  Elected 
Honorary  Member  Massachusetts  Historical  Society; 
Foreseen  Defects  in  the  Constitution  of  the  U.  S.; 
No  Near  Solution  of  Fort  Sumter  Entanglement;  Visit 
of  Lamon  and  Hurlbut 

to  MRS.  JANE   petigru  NORTH 

Charleston,  January  9,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  would  be  very  glad  to  see  you  and  Mary,  but  you  will  come 
to  a  town  where  there  is  war.  For  they  fired  on  the  United 
States  flag  this  morning  and  beat  off  the  unarmed  steamer 
Star  of  the  West,  with  stores  and  men  for  Fort  Sumter.  Day 
before  yesterday  they  killed  a  man  at  Castle  Pinckney,  where 
Johnston  is.  He  was  killed  by  a  sentry  by  accident.  He  was 
the  first  victim  of  the  war  and  died  by  mistake,  and  the  war 
itself  is  a  mistake.  Henry  is  on  duty,  too,  but  where  I  know 
not.  My  clerk  is  gone  without  notice,  and  but  for  a  little  chap 
who  came  the  other  day  to  study  law  I  would  be  altogether  alone. 
Caroline,  in  a  letter  of  December  30th,  speaks  of  coming  this 
month.  She  wrote  by  the  same  mail  to  James  and  I  forwarded 
James's  letter,  so  that  I  suppose  he  got  it  last  Friday.  I  hope 
that  you  and  James  will  come  together.  But  if  you  can  not 
come,  or  think  that  you  ought  not  to  come,  James  must  come 
alone,  for  his  mama  will  be  mortified  if  she  does  not  meet  him 
here.     *     *     * 

This  morning  I  saw  by  the  Courier  that  James  North's  resig- 
nation was  no  such  thing,  and  I  immediately  wrote  him  a  letter 
of  warm  congratulation.  I  would  not  offer  advice  to  him  no 
more  than  to  Phil.  I  am  so  far  relieved  that  Phil  has  not  rushed 
in  with  his  resignation  like  poor  Tom  Pelot;  but  I  fear  that  the 
pressure  will  be  too  great  for  him  to  resist.  A  commission  in 
the  Southern  Confederacy  will  be  just  the  thing  for  Pelot,  but 
for  our  nephew  I  think  it  will  be  more  respectable  to  take  to  some 
new  business  than  to  spend  his  life  skulking  among  the  marshes 
in  a  pitiful  service. 


366  ^ij^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

*  *  *  I  have  not  advertised  for  a  miner,  but  wrote  to 
Major  Gwinne.  The  Major  is  drilling  Pickens'  army  on  Morris 
Island.  If  you  get  the  man  from  the  Court  House  could  he  act 
as  law  screener?     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  16th  January,  1861. 

My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  am  afraid  that  Pickens  meditates  an  assault  on 
Fort  Sumter.  My  fears  are  for  Johnston.  I've  no  doubt  that 
he  will  be  exposed  to  the  heaviest  fire  and — how  dreadful  his 
loss  would  be!  It  is  certainly  bad  policy  to  resort  to  active 
hostilities  while  things  are  in  such  a  state  of  confusion.  No 
understanding  between  South  Carolina  and  the  United  States; 
no  understanding  among  the  people  of  South  Carolina  itself, 
whether  they  will  negotiate  for  themselves  or  for  the  South. 
No  treaty  exists  between  the  State  and  any  other  Power,  nor 
is  it  understood  whether  the  State  would  make  any  treaty  at  all, 
or  where  the  treaty  would  be. 

Johnston  came  up  on  Sunday  and  dined  with  us  in  a  great 
hurry.  He  intimated  that  he  was  going  to  Morris  Island  with 
his  command,  but  gave  no  clue  to  his  orders  or  what  he  expected. 
Henry  is  soldiering  at  the  Arsenal.  I  have  aclerk  just  now,  but 
last  week  I  had  not  even  so  much.  There  is  no  business  done 
bv  the  Appeal  Court.  Two  of  the  Judges  attended,  but  the 
Legislature  resolved  that  they  should  not  call  the  docket. 
*     *     *     *  Your  Brother. 

to  edward  everett 

Charleston,  20  January,  1861. 
My  dear  Mr.  Everett: 

if  the  value  of  the  Chief  Justice's  opinion,  alone,  be  considered 
your  favor  of  the  19th,  received  only  yesterday,  would  deserve 
great  thanks;  but  the  obligation  is  greatly  increased  by  the 
proof  it  affords  of  your  attention  and  regard.  Singular  as  it 
may  seem,  it  is  still  in  time  for  the  immediate  purpose  for  which 
it  was  wanted  almost  a  year  ago.  But  the  causes  which  prevented 
this  much  desired  succour  from  being  too  late,  are  not  them- 
selves subjects  of  gratulation.  First  I  was  sick;  then  Mr. 
Mitchell  on  the  other  side  was  ailing,  and  lastly,  the  State 
itself  being  in  the  throes  of  a  Civil  convulsion,  suspended  for 
three  months  the  sitting  of  the  Supreme  Court;  and  so  the  case 
stands  over  till  the  first  day  of  April  next.  The  cases  are  so 
much  alike  that  I  am  tempted  to  send  you  a  statement  of  the 
Charleston  case,  with  the  brief  prepared  for  the  Court  of  Appeals 


James  Louis  Petigru  367 

for  your  comparison  or  Ch.  Jus.  Shaw's  if  you  think  it  wcjuld 
amuse  him. 

The  events,  which  I  suppose  all  gooci  men  that  are  not  under 
the  spell  of  a  popular  delusion  must  deplore,  are  in  full  progress 
here.  And  the  bitterness  of  spirits  with  which  I  witness  the 
downfall  of  my  country,  is  only  qualified  by  wonder  and  aston- 
ishment, that  the  apathy  and  carelessness  that  mark  the  behav- 
ior of  men  otherwise  respectable. 

It  seems  to  me  that  our  minister,  Mr.  Faulkner,  was  singularly 
unhappy  in  referring  to  the  superior  constancy  of  a  free  people 
to  the  defence  of  their  institutions.  The  Naples  dynasty  has 
more  friends  in  the  very  scene  where  their  offences  have  shocked 
mankind,  than  the  Constitution  in  the  Cotton  Country.  A 
rising  against  authority  upon  pretexts  as  light  as  our  Southern 
wrongs  would  be  put  clown  anywhere  else  without  ceremony. 

Yet  after  all,  if  the  (jovernment  is  better  than  the  people 
deserve,  what  is  to  hinder  them  from  abusing  their  privileges.'' 
It  is  but  poor  comfort  when  one  suffers  to  reflect  that  it  is  merit- 
able,  and  yet  that  seems  to  be  all  that  is  left  us. 

Yours  truly, 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  January  29,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  saw  Louise  and  Joe  last  night  at  the  Governor's 
[Pickens].  It  was  a  tea  to  the  Commander-in-chief  and  his 
wife.  And  his  wife  is  a  very  pretty  woman  and  refined.  Not 
answering  at  all  to  preconceived  ideas  of  a  dashing  Western 
belle.  As  for  the  commander-in-chief  he  is  as  windy  as  ever. 
*  *  *  The  Legislature  were  to  have  adjourned  last  night, 
but  did  not.  They  have  confirmed  all  the  Governor's  appoint- 
ments. Some  of  which  give  much  satisfaction  and  some  are 
severely  criticised. 

I  really  believe  they  are  going  to  attack  Fort  Sumter.  There 
is  no  sense  in  it.  The  attack  will  entail  on  them  the  reproach 
of  shedding  the  first  blood — and  if  they  succeed  it  will  inspire  a 
great  feeling  of  hostility  in  the  populous  regions,  more  embittered 
because  it  will  be  laid  to  poor  Buchanan's  door  on  account  of 
his  double-dealing  and  shuffling.  Johnston  is  still  on  Morris 
Island.  I  have  not  seen  him  for  a  fortnight,  nor  heard  of  him 
except  by  common  fame,  which  says  he  is  busy.  James  has  a 
bad  sore  throat.  I  advised  him  yesterday  to  keep  to  his  bed. 
He  spurned  the  advice,  of  course,  as  everybody  does  who  has 
the  opportunity  of  showing  how  little  he  thinks  of  anything  that 
experience  can  say.     *     *     * 

I  have  received  a  letter  from  Caroline  in  much  better  spirits. 
But  she  does  not  seem  to  think  with  complacency  of  coming 


368  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

South.  I  thought  if  politics  disturbed  her  she  might  seek 
refuge  with  you.  To  my  mortification  she  says  she  lives  in  fear 
of  insurrection.  I  had  no  idea  that  she  was  the  victim  of  such 
idle  rumors.  But  every  day  discloses  to  us  new  proofs  of  human 
weakness.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother, 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  February  4,  1861. 

*  *  *  The  sky  is  still  as  dark  as  ever.  This  is  the  day  the 
border  States  are  to  meet  at  Washington  and  the  cotton  States 
at  Montgomery.  There  is  nothing  to  be  expected  from  the 
last,  and  but  little  from  the  first,  but  division  and  discord.  As 
a  sign  of  the  times,  I  may  mention  that  I  just  now  met  George 
Ingraham  showing,  with  exultation,  his  brother,  the  Captain's 
letter,  coming  home  with  his  wife  and  dozen  children,  leaving 
the  pay  of  him  and  his  two  midshipmen,  equal  to  the  interest  on 
$100,000.  Now,  considering  what  a  screw  George  is,  can  any- 
body say  less  than  that  this  is  an  epidemic;  when  a  fellow  like 
George  is  ready  to  open  his  purse  to  a  whole  family  of  beggars 
for  an  idea.  It  is  true  that  they  expect  South  Carolina  to  pro- 
vide for  them,  but  they  must  know  the  vast  difference  it  will 
make  to  live  on  the  charity  of  the  State  instead  of  enjoying  the 
bounty  of  a  nation,  with  its  honors.  But  if  George  Ingraham  is 
ready  to  sacrifice  everything  to  sentiment,  it  is  plain  there  must 
be  something  in  the  air.     *     *     * 

Chancellor  Dunkin  met  the  Bar  this  morning  to  try  such  cases 
as  both  sides  were  willing  to  try.  No  persons  will  feel  the  change 
of  the  times  more  than  lawyers.  If  it  was  not  for  codification 
I  don't  know  what  I  should  do  for  the  coming  year.  Yesterday 
we  had  the  favor  of  the  Governor  and  Mrs.  Pickens  to  dine. 
The  Governor  does  not  show  oflF  any  great  airs  and  Mrs.  Pickens 
is  very  amiable. 

Your  Brother. 

TO  MRS.  jane  PETIGRU  NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  February  13,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Things  look  more  favorable  since  Jeff  Davis  has 
superseded  Pickens.  I  don't  know  that  Pickens  is  more 
bloody-minded  than  Jeff.  But  as  the  Southern  Confederacy 
has  taken  the  subject  under  their  jurisdiction  common  decency 
will  require  that  they  negotiate  with  Washington.  Heretofore, 
in  all  questions  between  the  United  States  and  any  State,  it  was 
necessary  for  States'  rights  that  the  United  States  should  sub- 
mit to  any  indignity  and  yield  to  the  States  the  liberty  of  crow- 


James  Louis  Petigru  369 

ing.  Probably  the  Southern  Confederacy  will  be  so  far  consid- 
erate of  their  dignity  as  to  treat  the  United  States  as  an  equal 
and  enter  on  the  question  of  ceding  the  forts  with  a  diplomatic 
intent.  And  in  that  case  the  business  will  end  in  a  treaty.  I 
hope  it  will  be  so  and  that  the  garrison  will  be  withdrawn.     *  *  * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  February  19,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

As  you  say  we  prize  opportunities  more  as  they  become  rare. 
No  wonder  then  that  letters  are  privileges,  seeing  that  we  have 
but  one  mail  per  week,  and  don't  know  how  long  we  will  have 
even  that.  In  fact  it  is  surprising  that  the  United  States  are 
still  recognized  at  the  Postoffice,  the  only  place  where  Uncle 
Sam  is  allowed  to  show  himself;  being  turned  out  of  every  other 
house.     *     *     * 

Johnston  is  in  town  again — was  relieved  yesterday.  Col. 
Gregg  succeeded  to  the  command  on  Morris  Island.  John- 
ston is  not  at  all  the  worse  for  his  turn  of  duty,  and  he  has 
earned  a  good  deal  of  reputation.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

Mr.  Petigru  had  been  elected  president  of  the  South  Carolina 
Historical  Society  some  years  before.  He  delivered  the  inaug- 
ural  address — an  able  and  eloquent  paper — perhaps  the  most 
able  public  oration  he  ever  made. 

In  February  of  this  year,  1861,  he  was  elected  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society.  He  replied 
to  the  notice  of  his  election  in  a  letter  which  has  since  been  pub- 
lished among  the  papers  of  the  American  Historical  Society. 
It  reads  as  follows: 

Charleston,  February  25,  1861. 
My  dear  Sir: 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  of  your  note,  giving  me 
notice  of  the  honor  done  me  by  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society.  To  be  chosen  for  a  colleague  and  an  associate  by  such 
a  society  is  a  distinction  of  which  anybody  might  be  proud,  but 
it  is  rendered  much  more  flattering  by  the  way  it  is  announced. 

I  remember  with  the  greatest  distinctness  the  hours  which 
I  passed  so  many  years  ago  in  the  house  of  your  venerable 
father,  as  well  as  under  your  hospitable  roof.  *  *  *  How 
willingly  I  would  make  any  sacrifice  that  might  avert  from  our 
common  country  the  consequences  of  that  miserable  discord 


370  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

that  now  prevails  between  communities  that  ought  forever  to 
be  united.  I  say  miserable,  for  such  we  may  certainly  deem  a 
controversy  odious  to  the  best  men  on  either  side.  History  will 
adjust  hereafter  a  degree  of  reprobation  due  to  each  party,  but 
I  venture  to  say  that  whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  motives 
of  the  actors,  their  folly  will  be  as  much  the  subject  of  wonder  as 
of  censure.  We  are  here  in  such  a  disturbed  condition  that  the 
things  that  are  going  to  happen  in  a  week  are  as  uncertain  as  if 
they  belonged  to  a  distant  future. 

With  great  anxiety  for  a  peaceful  solution  of  the  difficulties, 
but  with  very  little  hope,  I  am.  Dear  Sir, 

Very  truly  and  sincerely  yours, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 
The  Honorable  R.  C.  Winthrop. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  February  27,  1861. 

My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Our  poor  Caroline  seems  under  a  spell  when  home 
is  talked  of.     In  her  last  (18th)  she  seems  as  far  from  deciding 

on  the  day  to  return  as  H was  when  B 's  happiness  was 

at  stake.  I  don't  wonder  that  she  shrinks  from  it,  for  there  is 
nothing  here  that  will  give  her  pleasure  except  a  few  friends. 

The  papers  I  send  contain  an  account  of  Miss  Tupper's  flag 
presented  to  Johnston's  regiment  and  allusions  to  a  conspiracy 
against  Lincoln's  life.  It  is  amusing  to  see  the  way  the  Courier 
moralizes  on  it,  to  show  that  Lincoln  must  be  a  bad  man  because 
people  want  to  murder  him.  As  if  the  murderers  were  the 
examples  and  the  murdered  men  the  warning. 

I  saw  James  North  this  morning  looking  bright  and  cheerful. 
Very  different  from  poor  Hartstene,  who  looks  the  image  of 
regret,  nor  does  Ingraham  or  Tom  Huger  hang  out  the  banner 
of  a  willing  mind.  Johnston  is  gone  to  James  Island  with  some 
400  men.  I  saw  him  in  full  feather  for  the  first  time,  issuing 
from  the  Institute  Hall  with  the  flag.  I  felt  proud  of  his 
soldierly  bearing.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  william  carson 

Charleston,  2  March,  1861. 

My  dear  Willie: 

The  course  of  time  has  been  very  productive  of  events  since 
you  went  away.  A  revolution  has  been  inaugurated  here,  and 
with  the  most  surprising  unanimity  men  and  women,  boys  and 
girls  glorify  the  change,  and  are  as  proud  of  their  apostasy  as  if 
they  were  sure  of  the  verdict  of  history.     They  have  adopted  as 


James  Louis  Petigru  371 

an  article  of  faith  the  propagation  of  slavery  and  are  as  firm  in 
their  new  profession  or  calling  as  the  Mormons  or  early  Mahome- 
tans.    None  are  so  full  of  this  new  born  zeal  as  the  clergy, 
including  in  this  term  the  preachers  of  every  denomination  from' 
the   Roman   Catholics   to   the   Baptists.     Bands  of  volunteers 
parade  the  streets  daily,  and  rumors  of  an  intended  assault  on 
Fort  Sumter  succeed  each  other  with  such  rapidity  that  they 
have  lost  in  a  great  measure  their  interest.     Major  Anderson 
with  60  or  70  still  holds  that  place.     All  the  other  forts  are 
garrisoned  by  State  troops.     Your  cousin  Johnston  giving  into 
the  general  sentiment  and  being  put  the  head  of  a  regiment  of 
Volunteers  is  no  longer  a  pale  inmate  of  the  obscure  building  in 
St.  Michael's  Alley,  where  he  used  to  pore  over  dusty  books  in  a 
foreign  tongue;  hut  bestrides  a  gallant  steed,  with  gay  trappings, 
long  spurs  and  bright  shoulder  knots. 

Next  Monday  a  new  scene  opens  in  the  drama.     Abraham 
Lincoln  is  to  assume  the  chair  of  State,  and  in  a  short  time  a 
decision  will  be  made  on  a  most  interesting  question:  no  less 
than   this,  whether  the  Gulf  States  with  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina  are  to  be  suffered  to  go  in  peace,  or  whether  repressive 
measures  will  be  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  them 
under  the  control  of  the  Union.     My  opinion,  Willie,  is  that 
they  will  be  allowed  to  go.     It  seems  to  me  that  such  is  the 
true  policy  of  the  Government.     The  Government  of  the  U.  S. 
has  a  marked  and  singular  difference  from  all  others  in  this* 
that  it  has  no  other  means  of  extending  its  authoritv  over  other 
people  but  by  annexation— and  it  can  only  annex  by  admitting 
the  conquered  country  as  a  Territory  or  a  State.     It  could  not 
turn  these  seceding  States  into  a  Territory  because  the  Consti- 
tution admits  of  no  such  thing,  and  it  is  only  the  Constitution 
that  binds  the  States  together.     Then  as  to  the  other  mode  of 
dealing  with  people  outside;  by  admitting  them  as  a  State: 
that  would  be  to  reverse  the  condition  of  conqueror  and  con- 
quered by  giving  up  all  the  kinds  of  victory  and  admitting  the 
enemy  into  their  camp  and  councils. 

This  fatal  defect  in  the  Constitution  was  foreseen  by  Wash- 
ington and  his  enlightened  compeers;  but  the  prestige  of  his 
name  with  the  material  interest  so  evident  in  adhering  to  the 
Union  has  kept  it  out  of  sight  till  now.  The  States  that  are 
true  to  the  Union  might  very  probably  put  down  the  military 
force  of  the  seceding  States,  but  when  they  have  done  that, 
what  is  to  be  the  issue?  They  would  have  to  change  the  Consti- 
tution to  meet  the  case.  But  to  change  the  Constitution  in  its 
essential  character  is  a  Revolution,  and  is  no  cure  for  the  evil 
in  the  eyes  oi  those  who  are  anxious  to  preserve  it. 

Therefore  I  think  that  the  States  that  adhere  to  the  Consti- 
tution will  be  compelled  by  the  necessities  of  their  situation  to 
let  the  Gulf  States  go  without  any  way  to  prevent  them.     If  anv 


372  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

way  does  grow  immediately  out  of  secession  it  will  probably 
arise  out  of  the  pretension  of  Louisiana  to  control  the  Mouth  of 
the  Mississippi. 

Nobody  can  tell  what  the  end  of  all  this  is  to  be — but  it  can 
not  be  for  good.  As  to  the  Southern  Confederacy,  it  is  formed 
on  principles  that  are  hollow,  and  rotten,  on  the  shallow  conceit 
that  all  nations  will  pay  tribute  to  King  Cotton;  and  that  our 
new  reading  of  "The  Whole  Duty  of  Man"  will  be  accepted  by 
Christendom. 

Nor  is  the  prospect  encouraging  in  the  other  point  of  view, 
viz,  the  effect  of  the  disruption  on  the  remaining  States.  The 
success  of  the  project  for  going  out  of  the  Union  at  will,  demon- 
strates the  fallacy  of  attempting  to  combine  the  principle  of 
unity  with  that  of  separate  independence  of  the  States;  and 
makes  the  Constitution  a  mere  cobweb.  And  when  it  comes  to 
be  so  considered,  it  will  be  despised  and  disowned  and  a  general 
disintegration  must  follow. 

While  these  changes  have  been  going  on  in  the  external  T  am 
glad,  Willie,  to  observe  that  a  change  has  taken  place  in  your 
interior  system;  and  from  your  letters  I  recognize  the  develop- 
ment of  your  ideas.  Take  your  mother's  advice.  Go  to  Frey- 
berg.  Study  metallurgy,  prepare  yourself  to  enter  the  arena  as 
a  man,  and  a  candidate  not  only  for  business,  but  for  honor.  If 
you  prefer  the  law  I  will  not  object,  but  do  all  for  you  that  can 
be  effected  by  the  efforts  of  your  affectionate 

Grandfather. 

In  illustration  of  Mr.  Petigru's  intense  devotion  to  the  Union, 
on  the  Sunday  when  prayers  were  first  offered  for  a  president  of 
the  Confederate  States,  the  following  story  has  been  told:* 

"Mr.  Petigru  was  present,  occupying  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent pews,  and  hardly  had  the  words  been  uttered  when  he 
arose  and  left  the  church  in  emphatic  disapproval  of  such  doc- 
trine. All  admired  the  tall  old  man  as  he  strode  down  the  main 
aisle  and  forth  from  the  sanctuary  though  few  perhaps  felt  as  he 
did.  If  such  there  were  they  feared  to  follow  his  example  for  it 
was  commonly  said  that  he  was  the  only  person  in  Charleston 
who  dared  to  do  such  a  thing." 

It  is  rather  ungracious  to  spoil  a  good  story,  but  the  facts  are 
as  follows: 

It  is  true  that  he  left  the  church  as  stated.  A  few  minutes 
after,  his  friend  Mr.  X.,  who  at  that  time  was  a  strong  Union 
man,  with  great  dignity  solemnly  marched  out  of  the  church. 


'^Atlantic  Monthly ^  February,  1884. 


James  Louis  Peti^u  373 

After  the  services  he  met  Mr.  Petigru  in  front  of  the  church  and 
expressed  his  indignation  at  the  new  prayers.  Mr.  Petigru 
laughingly  replied,  "  Why,  X.,  I  was  not  disturbed  by  Jeff  Davis, 
but  only  wanted  to  cough,  and  rather  than  disturb  the  congre- 
gation by  my  noise  I  left  the  church."  However  intense  may 
have  been  Mr.  Petigru's  feelings,  he  always  held  himself  under 
perfect  control,  and  was  not  given  to  making  theatrical  exhibi- 
tions. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  6th  March,  1861. 

I  have  received,  Dear  Sister,  yours  of  the  4th.  It  shows  how 
great  is  the  difference  between  those  that  are  favorites  of  the 
Government  and  those  who  are  not.  Nor  is  there  any  accommo- 
dation more  to  be  prized  than  a  well  regulated  Post.  If  the 
Government  had  stopped  the  mails  as  a  consequence  of  Seces- 
sion, it  would  have  been  very  severely  felt,  and  I  don't  know  now 
how  we  will  do  when  that  measure  is  adopted,  as  I  suppose  it 
must  be.  The  President's  Inaugural  is  significant  of  measures 
that  will  likely  lead  to  the  use  of  force.  Johnston  thought  it  a 
prelude  to  arms;  it  was  in  his  hands  I  saw  it  first  on  Monday 
evening,  and  he  left  me  for  his  post  on  James  Island,  with  the 
idea  that  when  we  met  again  he  might  be  crowned  with  laurel; 
while  to  me  the  thought  that  was  uppermost  was,  that  perhaps 
it  was  our  last  interview.  Yet  things  have  not  changed  their 
outward  hue  so  far,  and  possibly  the  same  small  game  may  be 
carried  on  until  people  lose  sight  of  their  first  objects. 

We  all  dined  at  the  Governor's*  yesterday.  It  did  seem  to  me 
odd  to  hear  so  many  Secessionists  giving  vent  to  their  impreca- 
tions on  Black  Republicans,  etc.;  for  the  children  joined  in  with 
as  much  glee  as  the  parents.  I  have  had  a  very  severe  cough; 
it  came  on  just  as  the  seizure  I  had  on  the  road  from  Virginia, 
but  I  am  a  great  deal  better  and  hope  to  see  you  at  the  Depot, 
*     *     *  Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  15  March,  1861. 
Dear  Sue: 

I'm  much  inclined  to  think  the  figure  in  the  chair  is  entitled 

to  the  preference,  but  the  stick  is  too  long  and  the  posture  strad- 
dling, so  I  leave  the  choice  to  you.     Let  me  have  two  dozen. 


*R.  F.  W.  Allston. 


374  ^(/^5  Letters  and  Speeches 

Aunt  Jane  is  here,  Aunt  Mary  too  at  Ann's.     James  with  a  very 
bad  throat  in  Broad  Street;  he  looks  very  badly. 

Your  Parent. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  7th  March,  1861. 
There  seems  to  be  increased  excitement  as  next  Monday  ap- 
proaches. Johnston,  who  was  dispatched  on  Tuesday  to  James 
Island,  returned  last  night  under  orders  to  assume  command  of 
the  brigade  in  the  absence  of  General  Dunnovant,  and  from  his 
talk  I  infer  that  he  thinks  an  assault  upon  Fort  Sumpter  is  at 
hand.  In  that  case  we  may  as  well  be  prepared  to  hear  that  his 
sun  is  set.  He  is  just  in  the  vein  to  "seek  the  bubble  reputa- 
tion," where  he  is  more  apt  to  find  his  grave  than  ever  to  tell 
the  story.  And  yet  the  fact  that  the  resolutions  of  the  peace 
conference  have  received  the  sanction  of  the  Senate  and  House 
would  lead  one  naturally  to  suppose  that  a  collision  was  not 
necessary.  But  there  are  a  great  many  fellows  outside  the 
fighting  men  that  would  feel  less  concern  for  the  lives  of  thou- 
sands than  for  a  scratch  that  would  touch  their  offended  vanity, 
if  the  South  did  not  possess  themselves  of  the  fort  by  force. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Broad  Street,  March  23,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  We  seem  no  nearer  the  solution  of  the  Fort  Sumter 
entanglement  than  we  were  a  month  ago.  Still  the  same  pro- 
fessions and  the  same  delays.  It  looks  very  bad  and  seems  to 
show  that  Mr.  Lincoln  has  no  fixed  plan. 

On  the  21st  of  March  President  Lincoln  sent  his  friends, 
Stephen  Augustus  HurJbut  and  Ward  Lamon,  lawyers  of 
Springfield,  Illinois,  to  South  Carolina  where  a  strong  Union 
party  was  supposed  to  exist,  to  ascertain  the  facts. 

The  following  Sunday,  the  24th  of  March,  about  9  p.  m.,  Mr. 
Petigru  and  his  grandson  were  reading  in  the  dining  room,  when 
there  was  a  sharp  ring  at  the  door  bell.  The  boy  announced 
"two  gentlemen,  Mr.  Hubble  and  Mr.  Lemons,  want  to  see 
Mr.  Petigru."  Repeating  the  names  with  a  puzzled  look  he 
waved  his  hand  for  his  grandson  to  retire. 

The  gentlemen  remained  about  an  hour.  On  their  departure 
he  joined  Mrs.  Carson  in  the  parlor  and  told  her  that  they  had 
been  sent  by  Lincoln  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  the  country. 


James  Louis  Petigru  375 

He  then  laughed  and  said,  "Who  would  have  thought  that  of  all 
men  Stephen  Augustus  would  ever  become  an  ambassador?" 

The  following  day  at  one  o'clock  Mr.  Hurlbut  saw  Mr.  Peti- 
gru; and  in  a  report  dated  27th  of  March,  said: 

*  *  *  Our  conversation  was  entirely  free  and  confidential. 
He  is  now  the  only  man  in  Charleston  who  avowedly  adheres 
to  the  Union.  *  *  *  P>om  these  sources  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  reporting  as  unquestionable  that  separate  nationality  is 
fixed;  that  there  is  a  unanimity  of  sentiment  which  to  my  mind 
is  astonishing,  and  that  there  is  no  attachment  to  the  Union. 

*  *  *  There  is  no  sentiment  to  appeal  to.  The  sentiment 
of  national  patriotism,  always  feeble  in  Carolina,  has  been 
extinguished  and  overridden  by  the  acknowledged  doctrine  of 
paramount  allegiance  to  the  State.* 

As  has  been  mentioned  before,  Hurlbut  was  the  son  of  Peti- 
gru's  friend  at  Beaufort.  He  had  been  a  student  and  managing 
clerk  of  the  office,  and  in  1845,  from  some  unedifying  frolic,  had 
left  the  town.  He  settled  in  Springfield,  where  he  became  a 
friend  of  Lincoln.  He  was  an  able  lawyer,  a  prominent  poli- 
tician, and  a  Major  General  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a 
man  of  most  genial  and  engaging  personality. 


""  Abraham  Lincoln. "  A  History  by  John  G.  Nicolay  and  John  Hay,  vol.  3,  p.  391 . 


376  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XLV 

April-June,  1861 

Fort  Sumter;  Huguenot  Records;  Sadness  at  the  Taking 
OF  Fort  Sumter;  Lincoln's  Policy;  Dinner  to  Dr.  W.  H. 
Russell;  Reverdy  Johnson;  Mrs.  Carson  Returns  to 
New  York;  Inhabitants  of  Summerville  Shy  of  Him; 
Rhett,  Junior,  Publishes  Him  as  a  Monarchist;  Card 
from  J.  J.  Pettigrew 

TO  J.  JOHNSTON    PETTIGREW 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  8  April,  1861. 
My  dear  Johnston: 

I  am  going  to  Sumter  on  the  11th  to  put  an  end  if  I  can  to  the 
delays  of  McR.  v.  Singleton.  I  wish  you  had  come  up  last 
Sunday,  you  would  have  met  Gen.  Beauregard;  he  speaks  very 
handsomely  of  you.  My  friend  D.  Huger  has  returned  from 
Montgomery  and  from  what  he  tells  me,  as  the  talk  there,  I 
infer,  though  he  does  not,  that  Jeff  Davis  expects  to  capture  the 
city  of  Washington  this  spring.  I  don't  think  he  can  do  it,  but 
I  think  Major  Anderson  will  be  compelled  by  stress  of  circum- 
stances to  come  to  terms  very  soon,  and  that  Lincoln  means  to 
make  him  a  scapegoat,  which  in  my  opinion,  is  a  low,  not  to  say, 
a  base  policy. 

Yours  earnestly, 

TO   M.   a.   CROTTET,  SWITZERLAND 

Charleston,  11  April,  1861. 
Dear  Sir: 

Your  valuable  and  much  valued  letter  of  15th  January  was 
duly  received,  and  the  box  of  books  and  manuscripts,  tho' 
delayed  much  beyond  our  expectations,  came  to  hand  at  length 
in  good  order.  I  can  not  but  praise  the  pains  and  care  you  have 
taken  to  render  the  manuscripts,  as  well  as  the  volumes  that 
have  suffered  from  age,  legible  and  capable  of  preservation. 
You  have  fulfilled  all  that  you  engaged  to  do  not  only  literally 
but  liberally.  I  might  even  find  fault  with  you  as  overscrupu- 
lous in  the  performance  of  your  part  of  the  agreement  by 
including  "Cook's  Voyages,"  an  English  work,  in  your  remit- 
tance, which  surely  you  might  have  considered  as  forming  no 
part  of  our  purchase. 


James  Louis  Petigru  2>11 

We  have  fitted  up  a  small  press  for  the  safekeeping  of  your 
collection,  anel  until  the  Historical  Society  comes  into  possession 
of  its  apartments  in  the  new  Court  House,  the  books  and  manu- 
scripts will  remain  in  the  office  of  Petigru  &  King  in  St.  Michael's 
Alley,  where  they  are  sometimes  visited  with  pious  curiosity  by 
the  descendants  of  the  Huguenot  F.xiles. 

For  your  memoir  of  the  brothers  Gibert  I  am  particularly 
obliged.  I  propose  to  publish  it,  and  only  regret  that  instead 
of  its  passing  through  the  press  under  your  supervision  I  will 
have  to  send  it  to  New  York  to  be  printed. 

The  25  copies  of  your  "History  of  the  Churches  of  Pons, 
Gemosac,  and  Montagne"  are  disposed  of  at  75  cents  per  copy. 
The  enclosed  Bill  of  Exchange  drawn  by  the  Bank  of  Charleston 
on  Messrs.  Quesnel  Freres  &  Co.  Havre,  and  payable  in  Paris  for 
300  francs,  you  will  please  accept  in  payment  of  those  copies, 
and  in  recompense  for  your  care  and  study  in  the  preparation  of 
the  work  so  worthily  commemorative  of  my  venerated  ancestor.* 

Your  "Protestant  Chronicle"  is  a  valuable  appendage  to  the 
collection,  and  is  received  as  a  personal  donation. 

Should  you  by  chance  obtain  any  additional  notices  of  the 
life  and  character  of  him  [Gibert]  or  his  brother,  you  will  always 
render  a  most  acceptable  service  by  communicating  such  infor- 
mation to  me. 

It  would  lay  me  under  new  obligations  to  your  kindness  if  you 
would  interest  yourself  in  making  some  inquiries  after  the  family 
of  Pierre  Boutiton,  Pasteur,  who  was  in  the  emigration  of  1764. 
He  died  early.  His  brothers  also  followed  him  to  the  grave 
after  a  few  years,  leaving  one  daughter  who  never  married,  and 
died  at  a  great  age  last  year. 

I  have  no  encouragernent  from  the  Mazycks  or  Manigaults 
for  inquiries  into  their  family  history  but  my  communications 
have  not  extended  to  all  of  them.  I  may  say  the  same  of  the 
Peurysburg  people.  Some  of  them  have  grown  rich,  but  they 
are  little  interested  in  any  studies  but  how  to  make  money. 
One  of  the  Winklers,  however,  is  a  Baptist  preacher;  and  the 
family  ot  the  VValdburgers  are  well  educated  people  and  perhaps 
chance  may  throw  in  my  way  the  opportunity  to  make  them 
acquainted  with  your  suggestion. 

Our  country  is  beset  with  trouble.  The  spirit  of  discontent 
has  triumphed  over  traditions  of  our  honored  ancestry  and  the 
bonds  of  unity  between  the  northern  and  southern  States  have 
been  rudely  separated.  The  result  of  this  disruption  is  very 
uncertain,  and  to  a  lover  of  freedom  is  very  discouraging.  Our 
postal  communications  are  likely  to  suffer  very  soon.  I  gladlv 
avail  myself  when  these  communications  are  still  open,  of  the 

*Grandfather,  Jean  Louis  Gibert. 


378  J^'^f^-,  Letters  and  Speeches 

opportunity  of  assuring  you  of  the  sentiments  of  esteem  and 
regard  with  which  I  am,  dear  sir, 

Your  friend  and  ally, 
M.  A.  Crottet, 
Pasteur, 
Yverdun, 

Canton  de  Vaud, 
Suisse. 

15th  April. 
The  event  which  I  thought  was  still  at  some  distance  when  I 
was  writing  the  foregoing  is  actually  come,  and   the  mail  is 
stopped.     Address  your  reply  under  cover  to  Messrs.  De  Launey 
Clarke  &  Co.,  New  York. 

Let  the  envelope  contain  nothing  but  the  address  of  these 
gentlemen. 

J.  L.  P. 

TO   MRS.    JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  April  16,  1861. 

That  which  was  threatening  a  long  time  has  come  and  the 
sword  is  drawn.  It  is  an  odd  feeling  to  be  in  the  midst  of  joy 
and  gratulations  that  one  does  not  feel.  On  the  contrary  it  is  a 
feeling  of  deep  sadness  that  settles  on  my  mind.  The  universal 
applause  that  waits  on  secessionists  and  secession  has  not  the 
slightest  tendency  to  shake  my  conviction  that  we  are  on  the 
road  to  ruin.  Nor  could  I  entertain  a  doubt  that  the  fiat  of 
history  will  consign  the  actors  in  these  scenes  to  the  same  lot 
with  them  who  have  ruined  their  country.  Is  it  you,  Carey,  or 
Mary  Blount  who  is  so  keen  a  secessionist? 

Lincoln's  proclamation  surprised  me.  It  seems  to  me  that 
policy  would  dictate  a  different  course,  and  that  the  course  which 
he  has  now  taken  ought  to  have  been  adopted  earlier,  if  at  all. 

I  felt  for  poor  Anderson,  deeply  abandoned  as  he  was  to  an 
obscure  fate,  to  serve  as  a  sort  of  stepping  stone  to  a  conflict  in 
which  he  could  reap  no  honor  and  left  without  a  friend  to  stand 
by  him  and  his  few  followers  while  the  fleet  iooked  upon  his 
distress  with  careless  eyes.  The  vessels  are  still  here.  What 
they  stay  here  for  nobody  can  tell.  I  thought  it  was  a  blockade, 
and  vessels  are,  I  know,  unwilling  to  go  out;  yet  it  is  announced 
that  the  port  is  open  this  morning.  In  fact  I  am  at  my  wits' 
end.  I  never  thought  the  administration  were  going  to  make 
an  attempt  or  show  of  relieving  Anderson,  but  supposed  their 
fleet  was  intended  for  the  Rio  Grande,  where  there  was  a  chance 
of  effecting  something  and  making  an  impression  on  the  public 
mind.  So,  finding  my  calculations  confuted,  I  now  wait  for 
events.  I  hope  you  will  find  the  papers  that  I  send  you  are  not 
unwelcome.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 


James  Louis  Petigru  319 

About  ten  days  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  William  H. 
Russell,  of  the  London  Times,  afterwards  known  as  "  Bull  Run  " 
Russell,  and  "Doctor"  William  H.  Russell,  came  to  Charleston. 
He  was  accompanied  by  the  ubiquitous  Sam  Ward  as  "bear 
leader,"  and  Brockholst  Cutting  of  New  York.  Mr.  Russell 
brought  letters  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Petigru;  the  others  were 
old  friends.  On  the  25th  of  April  a  large  dinner  party  was 
given  in  his  honor,  and  this  was  the  last  social  function  ever 
given  in  the  Broad  street  house,  as  it  was  burned  the  following 
December.  Among  the  guests  were  Governor  and  Mrs.  Pickens, 
General  Beauregard,  Wm.  Porcher  Miles,  John  Manning,  and 
others,  with  of  course  Mr.  Petigru's  two  daughters. 

Mr.  Petigru  no  doubt  spoke  of  his  respect  for  English  laws  and 
justice,  from  which  Mr.  Russell  inferred,  as  he  wrote  in  his 
letters,  that  he  was  a  monarchist.  This  can  be  understood  from 
a  note  by  Mrs.  Carson  about  her  father  in  which  she  says,  "his 
veneration  for  British  laws  was  so  great  that  it  was  long  before 
I  learned  that  he  had  a  respect  more  profound,  and  that  was  for 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. " 

In  taking  leave  Mr.  Russell  expressed  surprise  at  finding  a  man 
of  his  attainments  and  views  so  different  from  his  surroundings, 
to  which  Mr.  Petigru  laughingly  replied,  "When  a  similar 
remark  was  made  to  my  friend  Plutarch  he  said:  'I  live  in  a 
small  town  and  I  choose  to  live  there  lest  it  should  become  still 
smaller.'" 

TO    REVERDV  JOHNSON 

Charleston,  April  16th,  1861. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  came  in  with  the  Constitution  which  went  into  operation 
only  a  few  weeks  before  I  saw  the  light,  and  I  have  ever  devoutly 
believed  that  Union  is  our  greatest  interest.  Unfortunately  for 
me,  my  countrymen  have  in  the  course  of  the  last  50  years, 
taken  up  the  idea  that  it  was  a  mistake  and  that  cotton  is  our 
greatest  interest.  The  universality  of  the  cotton  doctrine  by 
which  1  am  surrounded  had  no  sort  of  influence  over  mv  wav  of 
thinking,  and  I  have  the  misfortune  of  witnessing  day  by  day 
manifestations  of  enthusiasm  in  which  I  have  not  the  slightest 
participation.  You  may  be  sure  then,  of  my  ready  and  hearty 
concurrence  in  your  able  and  lucid  argument  against  the  right 
of  secession;  for  the  Union  would  be  but  a  very  precarious 
possession,  if  it  stood  upon  the  mutable  ground  of  the  popular 


380  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

opinion  of  expediency  from  day  to  day.  In  fact  if  it  had  been 
authoritatively  proclaimed  at  the  time  of  its  adoption  that  it  was 
only  binding  as  long  as  it  received  the  voluntary  adhesion  of  the 
several  States,  it  never  would  have  been  adopted  at  all,  for 
people  would  have  justly  said  that  it  was  no  improvement  on  the 
Confederacy.  For  the  Confederacy  would  have  answered  all 
its  purposes,  if  it  could  have  been  sure  of  the  voluntary  adherence 
of  the  several  States  to  the  duties  that  were  submitted  to  their 
free  arbitrament.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  men  of  1787  did 
undertake  a  new  thing  in  attempting  to  divide  the  civil  power 
between  the  nation  and  the  State,  so  as  to  leave  each  of  them 
sovereign  within  their  several  spheres;  but  our  secessionists 
pretend  that  they  did  not  mean  it.  You  have  shown  to  demon- 
stration that  this  pretence  of  the  secessionist  is  groundless.  I 
hope  that  there  is  sufficient  good  sense  in  the  Maryland  people  to 
discern  the  right  and  follow  it,  and  I  might  well  envy  you  for 
having  such  an  audience  to  appeal  to.  What  is  to  be  the  end  of 
all  this,  seems  to  me  inscrutable.  But  even  if  the  Gulf  States 
and  South  Carolina  do  flake  off  for  ever,  I  will  never  cease  to 
witness  with  joy  whatever  increases  the  prosperity  and  honor 
of  the  United  States. 

Yours  truly, 

TO   WILLIAM  CARSON 

Broad  Street,  10  May,  1861. 
My  dear  Willie: 

*  *  *  I  wrote  to  you  this  spring,  before  your  Mama 
returned,  and  gave  you  a  world  of  good  advice  which  I  am  not 
going  to  repeat.  Indeed  you  have  arrived  at  that  time  of  life* 
when  all  ingenuous  youth  feel  the  weight  of  responsibility  so 
strongly  that  their  own  thoughts  are  or  ought  to  be  their  best 
monitors.  There  is  a  choice  soon  to  be  made  by  you  between 
a  profession  and  some  other  sort  of  business.  For  you  will  have 
to  make  bread  for  yourself,  and  you  are  now  old  enough  to  judge 
whether  you  are  most  fit  for  a  profession  and  a  studious  life,  or 
for  an  active  employment  as  a  business  man.  Your  Mama  has 
a  great  opinion  of  practical  metallurgy  as  a  branch  of  industry 
likely  to  occupy  a  large  space  in  American  enterprise.  _  But  I 
have  not  hearci  whether  [youl  have  taken  any  steps  in  that 
direction.  In  fact  I  do  not  know  what  studies  have  occupied 
your  attention  for  a  long  time.  But  I  hope  your  time  has  been 
so  employed  that  we  shall  not  blush  for  you  when  we  see  you. 
The  choice  of  a  calling  is  just  now  beset  with  new  difficulties, 
because  we  are  divided  by  the  keenest  disputes  between  North 
and  South.     The  Southern  Confederacy  has  indeed  proclaimed 


*Age  eighteen. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  381 

war,  and  the  Northern  States  are  not  slow  to  take  up  the  gage. 
We  are  in  fact  at  war,  and  don't  know  when  we  will  be  at  peace 
again.  And  those  who  are  entering  life  are  fairly  entitled  to 
cast  their  lot  either  North  or  South  as  they  please. 

I  was  gratified  with  one  of  your  last  letters  for  the  sentiment 
of  independence  which  it  breathed.  But  remember  if  you  would 
share  the  spirit  of  independence  you  must  share  also  its  trials, 
which  consist  to  a  great  degree  in  preferring  a  larger  future  good 
to  a  present  inferior  good:  /'.  e.  It  is  better  to  forego  many 
pleasant  hours  of  sleep,  than  to  sleep  away  the  time  devoted  to 
profitable  study. 

Your  Mama  will  probably  spend  the  summer  in  some  obscure 
spot  in  New  England;  Grandmother  in  Summerville;  your  aunts 
in  town.  Jim  is  already  at  the  Porchers  and  will  devote  the 
present  year  to  preparing  for  college. 

Your  Grandmother  [and]  your  Mama  salute  you,  and  so  does 

Your  Grandpapa. 

to  m.  a.  crottet 

Charleston,  10  June,  1861. 
Dear  Sir: 

No  answer  to  the  previous  has  yet  reached  me,  and  tho'  this 
does  not  necessarily  imply  that  it  was  the  state  of  our  Post 
Office,  it  would  readily  account  for  the  failures  of  letters  inten- 
ded for  this  place;  yet  if  anything  has  happened  to  your  answer 
or  to  my  letter,  the  duplicate  inclosed  will  not  be  out  of  place, 
nor  the  Bill  of  Exchange,  being  the  first  of  the  set,  mentioned 
within. 

The  Revolution  in  the  United  States  proceeds  so  far  with 
success,  if  indeed  that  which  subverts  a  good  government  de- 
serves to  be  called  success.  Wishing  you  the  blessings  of  peace, 
I  am,  dear  sir. 

Your  obliged  friend  and  servant. 

This  letter  will  be  entrusted  to  a  private  hand  to  be  forwarded 
from  New  York,  or  from  France. 
M.  A.  Crottet, 
Pasteur, 
Yverdun, 

Canton  de  Vaud, 
Suisse. 

About  the  middle  of  May,  owing  to  the  climate,  the  health  of 
Mrs.  Carson  began  to  break  down,  and  on  account  of  her  politi- 
cal views  even  among  her  best  friends  she  found  that  the  super- 
ficial malevolence  of  women  is  always  in  an  inverse  ratio  to  their 


382  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

integral  excellence.  The  doctor  advised  that  she  go  north,  which, 
with  his  usual  self-sacrifice,  Mr.  Petigru  strenuously  urged.  The 
following  is  the  passport  furnished: 

Headquarters,  Provisl.  Army, 
Charleston,  S.  C,  May  23,  1861. 
To  all  whom  it  may  concern,  greeting: 

Mrs.  C.  Carson,  a  lady  of  Charleston,  So.  Ca.,  is  proceeding 
to  New  York  City  for  the  benefit  of  her  health.  The  civil  and 
military  authorities  of  the  Confederate  and  of  the  United  States 
are  invited  to  extend  her  such  aid  and  protection  as  she  may  be 
entitled  to. 

G.  T.  Beauregard, 
Brig.  Genl.  Comdg. 

In  feeble  condition  she  left  Charleston,  with  some  friends,  on 
Monday,  3d  of  June,  and  going  by  way  of  Nashville,  Louisville 
and  Cincinnati  she  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  following  Satur- 
day, in  better  condition  than  when  she  started. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  June  18,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

It  is  about  the  hour  I  suppose  of  your  arrival  at  your  own 
door,  and  I  congratulate  you  on  the  end  of  your  journey  and  the 
pleasant  sights  which  meet  you  at  home  and  the  many  glad  faces 
that  surround  you.  I  wish  I  was  with  you  with  all  my  heart, 
for  Summerville  is  a  place  that  has  few  attractions.  The  inhab- 
itants are,  for  the  most  part,  shy  of  me,  and  I  don't  know  but  I 
like  them  better  than  if  they  were  more  sociable.     *     *     * 

19th — I  came  as  expected.  The  only  news  not  in  the  news- 
papers is  that  Johnston  is  going  to  Virginia  as  a  private.  He 
does  not  enroll,  but  is  going  to  give  his  countenance  to  Conner's 
company. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  June  20,  1861. 
*  *  *  You  will  see  that  Rhett,  junior,  has  published  me 
as  a  monarchist.  If  it  is  true  he  ought  not  to  have  done  it,  but 
in  fact  he  has  no  more  reason  to  say  so  than  this,  that  I  am  a 
Union  man,  and  he  would  prefer  monarchy,  even  under  foreign 
rule,  to  the  Union.  Johnston's  book  creates  a  favorable  impres- 
sion, and  his  defense  of  his  kinsman  is  what  might  be  expected  of 
him.     I  am  working  hard  on  the  Code. 


James  Louis  Petigru  383 

The  above  allusion  to  Rhett,  junior,  publishing  him  as  a 
monarchist,  has  reference  to  an  editorial  that  appeared  in  the 
Mercury  on  the  19th  of  June.  The  next  day  J.  Johnston  Petti- 
grew  addressed  the  editor  and  inquired  if  this  editorial  referred 
to  his  relative  James  L.  Petigru,  and  questioned  the  right  of  the 
journalist  in  bringing  before  the  public  the  supposed  private 
opinions  of  individuals.  On  the  21st  of  June  Rhett  replied, 
saying,  "The  passage  alluding  to  Mr.  Petigru  expresses  what  I 
considered  to  be  his  opinion  upon  a  political  question  of  mon- 
archical rule  and  as  widely  known  as  himself.  *  *  *  It  is 
due  to  my  own  self-respect  and  my  esteem  tor  Mr.  Petigru  to 
say  that  the  relations  of  friendship  and  regard  which  have  long 
existed  between  the  distinguished  gentleman  and  my  entire 
family,  exclude  the  supposition  that  I  could  have  volunteered 
to  diminish  him  in  the  respect  of  the  public.  The  consciousness 
of  offence  or  intention  of  it  was  certainly  not  present  to  my 

mind. 

"R.  B.  Rhett,  Jr." 

The  contention  is  summarized  in  the  following  card: 

Friday,  21st  of  June,  1861. 
A  Card 

The  Mercury  of  the  19th  contained  some  editorial  remarks 
upon  one  of  Mr.  Russell's  letters,  in  which  he  states  that  he  met 
here  a  very  general  expression  of  opinion  in  favor  of  the  intro- 
duction of  monarchical  institutions  and  "of  one  of  the  Royal 
race  of  England  to  rule  over  us,"  etc. 

Contesting  this  as  a  misconception,  the  writer,  in  the  course 
of  his  remarks,  makes  the  following  reference: 

"Monarchists  are  to  be  found  here,  as  elsewhere.  We  have  met 
them  at  the  North  and  in  the  Southwest.  We  know  two  in 
South  Carolina — one  a  certain  distinguished  lawyer  of  Charles- 
ton, and  one  a  planter  of  eccentric  views.  We  remember  no 
others,  and  these  gentlemen  have  no  political  influence  and  no 
aspirations,  being  universally  regarded  as  Ishmaelites,  and 
together  out  of  the  latitude  in  politics." 

The  impression  was  very  generally  entertained  that  this 
paragraph  would  be  accepted  as  referring  to  my  kinsman,  Mr. 
James  L.  Petigru;  and  upon  inquiring  of  the  editors,  I  am 
informed  that  such  was  the  case — the  information  being  accom- 
panied, it  is  proper  to  say,  with  expressions  ot  great  respect  and 
consideration.  Taking  the  whole  editorial  together,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  deny  that  the  impression  produced  must  be  that  the 


384  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

opinion  of  the  two  gentlemen  thus  alluded  to,  affords  only- 
countenance  to  be  found  for  Mr.  Russell's  statements  in  this 
particular;  and,  knowing  that  Mr.  Petigru  would  not  advert  to 
the  matter  himself,  it  is  not  consistent  with  my  feelings  towards 
him  to  allow  such  a  public  reference  to  pass  without  comment. 

A  claim  on  the  part  of  any  journalist  to  comment  publicly 
on  private  opinions,  particularly  when  the  question  is  not  at 
issue,  is  one  that,  in  my  view,  concerns  any  individual.  I  can 
not  admit  a  right  on  the  part  of  an  editor  unnecessarily  to  drag 
before  the  public  for  censure,  in  any  odious  connection,  or  even 
for  general  remark,  sentiments  not  publicly  expressed.  It  seems 
to  me  a  wrongful  invasion  on  the  privacy  of  individual  opinion, 
too  liable  to  become  a  source  of  oppression,  to  be  conceded  to 
the  press.  I  do  not  think  in  justification  that  the  sentiments 
objected  to  may  really  be  so  entertained.  In  the  present  instance, 
moreover,  I  believe  besides  that  the  statement  in  question  is 
calculated  to  produce  an  entire  misapprehension  as  to  the 
gentleman  referred  to,  and  to  do  him  gross  injustice. 

For  many  years  I  have  had  abundant  opportunity  for  know- 
ing his  sentiments,  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  when  I  saw  the 
editorial  in  the  Mercury.  I  do  not  believe  that  he  has  ever 
entertained  or  expressed  any  opinion  in  favor  of  the  introduction 
of  monarchical  institutions  among  us,  or  that  would  warrant 
such  a  reference  to  him  in  connection  with  the  comments  of  Mr. 
Russell's  letter. 

J.  Johnston  Pettigrew. 

To  this  Mr.  Rhett,  being  bound  to  have  the  last  word,  says: 

Mercury  Office,  June  21,  1861. 
*  *  *  Again,  I  have  not  stated  nor  indicated  that  Mr. 
Petigru  ever  advocated  the  introduction  of  a  monarchy  or  a 
monarch.  The  political  odium  of  a  preference  for  the  theory 
of  monarchical  institutions  Mr.  Petigru  had  created  for  himself. 
He  had  himself  caused  and  encountered  it.  I  had  no  intention 
to  either  create  or  to  add  to  it. 

In  the  Mercury  of  Saturday,  the  22d  of  June,  appeared  a 
notice  that  J.  J.  Pettigrew  would  leave  that  night  for  Virginia 
to  join  as  a  private,  Conner's  Company  of  the  Hampton  Legion. 

TO  J.  JOHNSTON    PETTIGREW 

Summerville,  24  June,  1861. 
My  dear  Johnston: 

So  you  did  not  come  on  Sunday,  and  you  did  take  the  Mercury 
to  task.     I  value  the  latter  incident,  as  it  proves  that  you  under- 


J.  Johnston-  Pettigrew 


{Facing  3S4) 


James  Louis  Petigru  385 

stood  me;  which  is  one  of  the  tests  of  a  kindred  mind.  So  far 
from  being  a  monarchist,  I  am  for  the  very  opposite — the  semi- 
sovereignty  of  the  U.  S.  and  the  quasi-sovereignty  of  the  State. 
And  Rhett,  Jr.,  is  fool  enough  to  call  me  a  monarchist  because 
I  am  a  Union  man,  and  he  prefers  monarchy,  even  under  British 
rule,  to  Union. 

I  really  felt  no  resentment,  because  I  did  not  think  he  meant 
it  as  rudeness,  and  am  perfectly  sure  that  my  attachment  to 
popular  government  would  outlast  that  of  a  whole  brigade  of 
Secessionists.  Besides  I  am  clear  of  ever  having  expressed  a 
preference  for  monarchy  over  a  republic,  though,  no  doubt,  I 
have  said  many  things  that  would  seem  very  paradoxical  to 
people  that  take  their  ideas  upon  trust,  as  mere  partizans  always 
must. 

I  might  be  offended  at  being  put  in  the  same  category  with  a 
crazy  man,  but  I  really  think  my  character  can  stand  the  impu- 
tation, even  if  Col.  Hayne  should  back  the  Mercury  in  their 
classification.  For  I  reckon  that  the  public  would  hardly  con- 
sent to  being  thought  such  asses  as  to  support  a  man  in  a  decent 
style  and  pay  him  for  advice,  who  had  no  more  judgement  than 
a  crazy  Ishmaelite. 

Your  book  improves  upon  me,  and  I  find  it  not  only  a  good, 
but  a  readable  book,  tho'  I  think  your  Phcenecian  and  Celtic 
etymologies  are  somewhat  tedious.  I  want  to  beg  a  copy  for  a 
friend,  Mrs.  Holbrook,  unless  you  will  take  the  hint  and  send 
it  in  your  name.  I'll  be  in  Charleston  on  Thursday.  Will  you 
be  gone  before  then,  without  seeing  me.'' 

Yours, 


386  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XLVI 

July-October,    1861 

Johnston  as  a  Private;  Hurlbut  a  State  Prisoner  in 
Defiance  of  Magna  Charta;  Belief  in  General  Scott; 
Wishes  He  Were  on  the  Other  Side  of  the  Potomac; 
Fighting  Will  Dispose  People  to  be  More  Civil  to 
One  Another;  Comments  on  the  Battle  of  Manassas; 
Afraid  Defeat  Would  Have  Cost  General  Scott  His 
Life;  The  Code;  The  Well;  Doings  of  the  Clergy; 
Efforts  on  Behalf  of  Hurlbut 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Summerville,  July  5th,  1861. 
My  dear  Daughter: 

After  some  days  of  anxiety  your  letter  of  16th  June  came  like 
a  messenger  of  comfort  to  relieve  our  minds  not  only  from  fear 
but  from  doubt.  It  reached  us  on  the  afternoon  of  26th  June, 
and  was  devoured  by  Ma  and  self,  as  a  welcome  entertainment 
after  a  long  fast,  and  the  next  day  was  forwarded  to  Aunt  Jane, 
with  a  charge  to  send  it  on  to  James  even  at  the  expense  of  tak- 
ing a  horse  out  of  the  plow.  That  you  should  meet  kind  friends 
and  a  cordial  welcome,  did  not  surprise  me,  but  that  you  felt 
stronger  when  you  arrived  at  Mr.  Blatchford's  than  when  you 
left  Charleston  was  good  news  as  unexpected  as  gratifying. 

*  *  *  On  Wednesday  I  was  in  town  and  saw  Mr.  Bunch 
[the  British  consul]  who  gave  me  Gen.  Scott's  passports  and  Mr. 
Schuyler's  letter  dated  4  June  and  only  received  by  Mr.  Bunch 
the  2d  of  July.  Gen.  Scott's  letter  of  safe  conduct  is  highly 
complimentary,  all  in  his  own  hand,  and  countersigned  by  the 
Assistant  Adjutant  General.  Nor  is  Mr.  Schuyler's  less  flatter- 
ing as  it  contains  the  offer  of  meeting  you  on  the  lines  if  he  could 
be  appraised  of  the  time  to  do  so.  By  inverse  of  good  luck 
your  parting  letter  of  the  21st  June  from  New  York,  arrived  at 
the  same  time  by  Adams  Express.  Gen.  Scott's  pass  came  in 
Mr.  Bunch's  bag  from  Lord  Lyons.  How  it  was  so  much 
retarded  I  don't  know,  but  I  suppose  his  lordship's  correspon- 
dence with  his  subordinates  is  not  as  [frequent.?]  as  theirs  with 
him.     *     *     * 

We  moved  on  the  16th  ult.     I  have  Jack  Middleton  with  me, 


'James  Louis  Petigru  387 

and  Trescot  and  Henry  Young  in  Charleston.  But  the  scheme 
which  I  have  adopted  requires  the  laws  to  be  almost  entirely 
written  over,  otherwise  mere  juxtaposition  would  go  very  little 
way  to  introduce  that  method  which  it  is  the  object  of  a  code  to 
obtain.  This  makes  slow  work,  and  reduces  the  value  of  Tres- 
cot and  Young's  collaboration  to  a  trifle  comparatively.  I  am 
afraid  I  shall  have  to  abridge  my  trip  to  Badwell  or  postpone  it 
altogether. 

I  paid  to  Henry  Young  on  Wednesday  150  Dollars  for  James,* 
and  100  for  himself,  for  their  services  the  last  quarter.  But 
James  gets  no  more.  He  is  in  Virginia,  Lieut,  of  Conner's 
Company  which  Johnston  has  joined  as  a  private.  He  is  not 
under  an  engagement  to  serve  during  the  war  and  may  quit 
when  he  pleases,  but  certain  it  is  that  he  is  now  doing  service  in 
the  ranks.  Johnston  has  something  of  the  Roman  and  this 
step  is  more  in  accordance  with  antiquity  than  modern  times. 
He  went  off  a  week  ago.  Poor  Hurlbut  the  renegade  has  got  into 
big  trouble.  He  came  here  to  see  his  sister  and  be  quiet.  The 
Charleston  people  were  thrown  into  a  panic.  They  do  him  more 
honor  perhaps  than  he  deserves.  They  would  not  believe  him 
to  be  a  renegade:  and  were  going  to  mob  him.  He  fled,  was 
caught  and  carried  to  Richmond  where  he  is  in  durance  vile,  in 
defiance  of  Magna  Charta,  a  sort  ot  State's  prisoner  accused  of 
nothing,  but  having  a  bad  name,  which  unfortunately  he  has 
put  it  out  of  the  power  of  his  friends  to  deny,  and  suspected 
against  all  reason  of  being  a  spy,  whom  nobody  will  trust. 

Congress  met  yesterday.  In  Charleston  the  day  was  partially 
kept;  here  it  passed  unheeded.  The  bells  in  town  were  rung  and 
shut. 

I  have  no  news  to  tell  you  for  there  is  nothing  done.  There 
has  been  a  brush  at  a  place  in  Virginia  called  Bethel  where  the 
U.  S.  men  suflFered  more  disgrace  than  actual  loss.  And  it  seems 
to  me  that  Jeff  Davis  has  the  smartest  men  about  him.  But  for 
General  Scott  I  would  not  be  surprised  at  anything. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  17  July,  1861. 
My  dear  Caroline: 

*  *  *  Every  day  has  been  filled  with  rumors  of  great 
things  being  done  ot  which  as  Milton  says  "all  Hell  had  rung." 
But  except  some  skirmishing  nothing  has  transpired  to  enable 
me  to  see  when  they  are  going  to  fight,  or  who  is  going  to  be 
whipped.  Johnston  has  come  in  from  Richmond  with  a  com- 
mission of  Col.  of  a  North  Carolina  Regiment.  He  came  last 
night  and  is  going  back  this  afternoon.     His  object  in  going  to 


*James  Lowndes  and  Henry  Young  had  assisted  Petigru  with  the  "Code." 


388  -^i/^5  Letters  and  Speeches 

Richmond  was  to  join  Conner's  Company  as  a  private.  But  it 
seems  that  his  fame  had  gone  before  him  and  a  North  Carolina 
Regiment  elected  him  without  ever  having  seen  him.  I  asked 
him  if  he  knew  anything  more  than  everybody  knew;  he  said 
nothing  more  except  that  Virginia  was  more  pushed  than  people 
supposed;  that  the  federalists  were  strongest  at  every  point. 
However  he  seemed  to  have  no  doubt  that  the  contest  was  in 
favor  of  the  South  on  account  of  the  superiority  of  their  metal 
(mettle). 

Our  friend  Ben  is  a  Major  in  Jeff^  Davis'  Army,  and  is  some- 
where about  Winchester,  which  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  danger. 
And  last  Friday  the  Governor  himself  set  off  for  Virginia  to 
tender  his  services. 

William  Ross*  is  cruising  in  the  Jeff  Davis  privateer  as  Lieu- 
tenant and  I  expect  every  day  to  hear  that  he  is  captured  with 
his  usual  luck.  The  crew  of  the  Savannah  privateer  are  in  New 
York,  and  will  be  tried  for  piracy;  they  will  very  probably  be 
convicted  and  then  a  very  interesting  question  it  will  be, — 
whether  they  are  to  be  hanged  or  not,  and  great  things  will 
depend  on  it.  I  am  convinced  that  a  reconstruction  of  the  Union 
is  impossible,  and  really  wish  that  I  were  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Potomac.  But  as  it  is  I  see  nothing  to  hope  from  the  present 
contest,  but  the  probability  that  fighting  will  remedy  somewhat 
the  vulgar  prejudices  that  are  so  rife  on  both  sides,  and  dispose 
people  to  be  civil  to  one  another.  I  was  in  hope  that  we  might 
part  without  effusion  of  blood;  but  am  satisfied  now  that  such 
a  separation  would  be  more  disastrous  than  a  war.     *     *     * 

I  am  proceeding  slowly  with  the  code,  and  don't  think  I'll 
get  off  to  Abbeville  for  near  a  month.     Adieu. 

Your  Parent. 

William  Henry  Hurlbut,  the  brilliant  journalist,  on  account 
of  his  zigzag  course  in  New  York  finally  found  himself  tabooed 
and  laughed  at  even  by  the  Bohemians.  At  the  opening  of  the 
war  upon  the  invitation,  as  he  said,  of  his  friend  Judah  P. 
Benjamin,  who  became  Secretary  of  State  of  the  Confederate 
States,  he  came  South  to  write  up  the  Southern  cause.  Some 
years  previous  to  this  he  had  written  certain  strong  anti-slavery 
articles  in  the  Edinburgh  Review.  He  arrived  in  Richmond  on 
the  19th  of  June.  The  Southern  papers  quoted  the  anti-slavery 
articles,  and  violently  assailed  his  record  and  moral  character, 
and  asserted  that  he  was  a  spy.  On  his  way  to  Montgomery, 
no  definite  charge  having  been  made,  he  was  arrested  by  the 


*William  Ross  Postelle,  his  brother-in-law. 


James  Louis  Petigru  389 

civil  authorities  of  Atlanta  on  the  24th  of  June,  and  transferred 
to  the  military  prison  at  Richmond. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU  KING 

Charleston,  24  July,  1861. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  I  wrote  to  Col.  Morton,  Gov.  Letcher's  Aid,  last 
Wednesday,  and  requested  him  to  let  Mr.  Letcher  know  what  I 
said  and  that  1  was  responsible  for  the  statement,  and  put  as 
strongly  as  I  could  the  impropriety  of  keeping  Hurlbut  in  jail, 
if  they  ever  meant  that  he  should  go  out  alive.  I  am  out  of 
patience  with  the  sneaking  privilege  of  keeping  a  man  in  prison, 
merely  because  they  can  do  so  with  impunity  in  spite  of  his  right. 
The  victories  that  are  gained  over  humanity  are  not  as  creditable 
as  our  victory  at  Manassas,  tho'  they  give  less  trouble.  But  I 
don't  know  what  to  say  of  our  friend  George  W.  Williams,  whose 
mind  was  so  impressed  with  the  fear  of  offending,  as  to  go  to 
Legare  Yates  and  tell  him  he  had  remitted  money  to  New  York 
to  pay  a  Spaniard,  who  held  his  bills  payable  at  that  place,  and 
when  Oracle  Yates  made  a  fuss,  made  interest  at  the  Post  Office 
to  return  him  his  bill,  and  let  the  Spaniard  bewail  his  case  as  a 
man  destined  to  bear  the  misfortune  of  trusting  a  person,  who 
can  not  distinguish  between  what  a  man  may  do  and  what  he 
ought  to  do.  Hurlbut  wrote  to  me  once.  Perhaps  I  would  be 
borne  out  by  the  circumstances,  if  I  said  he  had  not,  tor  it  is  only 
part  of  his  letter  that  I  could  quite  understand;  other  parts  I 
guessed  at  and  the  rest  was  in  an  unknown  character — might 
as  well  have  been  in  an  unknown  tongue.  I  hope  and  trust  you 
are  not  going  to  write  to  Toombs  or  anybody  about  this  business. 
Whether  it  could  do  him  any  good  is  more  than  doubtful;  that 
it  would  do  you  harm  is  certain,  and  it  would  certainly  disentitle 
my  instances,  in  his  behalf,  to  any  weight.  You  can  not  but  be 
aware,  my  dear  Sue,  that  Hurlbut's  friendship  is  no  recommen- 
dation; as  the  Count  says  in  "Werner,"  "Men  speak  lightly  of 
him."  When  a  man  like  him  has  lost  character,  it  must  be 
presumed  against  him,  for  he  has  wit  enough  to  take  care  to 
make  himself  understood.  In  a  word,  a  deserter  can  not  be 
respected,  tho'  he,  as  well  as  all  men,  is  entitled  to  justice.  The 
South  Carolinians,  Georgians  and  Virginians  have  done  him 
wrong.  In  addition  to  the  common  sense  of  indignation  against 
wrong,  I  have  a  motive  for  acting  in  his  behalf  on  account  of  his 
father,  who  was  my  friend.  Otherwise,  my  dear  child,  I  should 
think  it  no  great  matter  if  a  deserter  found  himself  deserted. 
*     *     *  Adieu. 

Your  Parent. 


390  ^(/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

July  31,  1861. 

The  advantage  gained  by  the  Confederates  on  the  21st  really 
seems  to  be  a  victory.  It  proves  that  as  natural  fighters  we 
really  do  beat  the  Yankees.  It  ought  not,  perhaps,  to  be  won- 
dered at.  The  ferocity  of  our  people  has  been  whetted  by  the 
practice  of  gouging  first  at  the  Colonial  Government  and  of  using 
the  Bowie  knife  at  later  times.  It  will  be  lucky  for  us  if  the 
Yankees  may  take  our  word  that  they  can't  stand  a  hand  with 
us  in  fighting  and  come  to  terms,  with  the  understanding  that  we 
are  the  best  men.  We  are  all  convinced  of  the  superiority  of 
our  mettle  and  those  who  are  thoroughly  imbued  with  Southern 
ideas  are  especially  clear  that  we  have  all  the  money;  at  least, 
that  we  have  more  than  anybody  else.  So  that  if  the  Yankees 
are  sharp  they  will  soon  give  up  the  contest  when  they  find  that 
we  are  so  much  better  provided  with  the  sinews  of  war. 

Ma  lost  her  horse,  the  ocular  horse,  that  is  the  one  that  could 
see.  He  died  on  Monday,  and  it  is  a  great  loss.  Allston  has 
been  gone  to  the  wars  for  a  fortnight.  He  made  his  way  to 
Manassas  and  met  Ben  on  the  road.  The  train  on  which  Ben 
was  had  broken  down,  which  prevented  him  from  joining  in  the 
action.  The  Governor  is  staying  to  nurse  the  wounded  that 
were  in  the  action.  Charlie  Axson  was  killed  yesterday  on  the 
road  in  a  brawl  by  a  Georgia  soldier.  Hampton's  Legion,  which 
has  gained  so  much  honor,  has  a  dark  page  also  in  its  chronicle, 
as  two  companies  are  in  jail  for  mutinous  conduct;  which  pre- 
vented them  from  sharing  in  the  fight.     *     *     * 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Badwell,  22  August,  1861. 
My  dear  Cary: 

*  *  *  Aunt  Mary  and  Louise  are  great  patriots  while 
Aunt  Jane  reconciles  herself  to  her  destiny;  works  for  the 
Southern  Volunteers  in  the  Virginia  hospitals  and  would  willingly 
do  as  much  for  those  whom  she  has  hardly  learned  yet  to  call 
"our  enemies." 

I  really  was  afraid  that  the  defeat  of  the  U.  S.  at  Manassas 
would  have  cost  Gen.  Scott  his  life.  But  he  has  more  vitality 
in  him  and  gives  no  sign  of  despair.  It  is  to  be  seen  what  sort 
of  man  he  has  for  his  views,  in  McLellan.  But  it  is  very  plain 
that  hitherto  the  Southerners  have  had  the  preponderance  in 
military  skill  as  well  as  hard  fighting.  But  whether  it  portends 
peace  or  a  long  war  is  very  questionable.  The  Yankees  are  not 
as  full  of  indignation  as  our  people;  but  whether  their  wrath  will 
cool  sooner  than  ours  is  a  different  thing.  Some  few  papers  at 
the  North  speak  in   favor  of  peace,   but   the  prevailing  idea 


James  Louis  Petigru  391 

evidently  is  to  avenge  the  national  honor.  And  how  long  the 
passions  of  men  will  continue  to  add  fuel  to  the  flame  is  as  little 
understood  as  any  points  in  the  distant  future.  You  have  no 
doubt  seen  an  account  of  the  battles  and  will  easily  forgive  me 
for  passing  the  narratives.  Indeed  I  could  do  no  better  if  I 
tried;  for  never  have  I  been  able  to  understand  why  the  Yankees 
behaved  so  ill  that  day.  They  disgraced  themselves  beyond 
measure;  their  flight  must  be  a  deep  mortification  to  all  their 
friends. 

It  is  surprising  how  well  the  Southern  men  work  together,  as 
it  is  known  that  there  is  great  spite  and  bickering  among  them. 
For  instance,  Davis  has  a  fight  against  our  friend  Ripley,  and 
neglected  him,  and  evaded  the  earnest  call  for  his  promotion 
raised  by  South  Carolina.  He  at  last,  but  with  a  bad  grace,  has 
given  in  and  Rip  is  now  a  General.  Complaints  are  also  made 
that  Gen.  Beauregard  has  not  had  justice  done  him.  Of  this  I 
can  not  judge,  but  Beauregard,  unless  I  am  mistaken,  is  of  the 
same  opinion.  In  the  meantime  Congress  sits  at  Richmond  and 
does  as  it  pleases,  whether  in  public  or  private  without  anything 
for  authority  except  the  undisputed  will  of  the  people.  The 
members  were  not  elected  by  the  people  nor  authorized  to  inaug- 
urate a  Legislative  Government;  yet  they  have  cione  so  to  the 
perfect  satisfaction  of  the  same  people  that  are  abusing  Lincoln 
for  a  stretch  of  his  authority.  But  in  fact  law  is  a  drug  now — 
and  heaven  knows  how  long  it  will  continue. 

James  intended  to  send  his  letter  with  mine,  but  it  was  not 
ready  last  Saturday,  and  so  I'll  send  this  off  to  Mr.  Sass,  hoping 
he  will  find  some  means  to  convey  it  to  the  hands  of  Mr.  Dermoid 
who  will  be  able,  1  hope,  to  put  it  in  a  way  of  reaching  you,  for 
I  don't  know  whether  I  ought  to  address  you  at  Dresden  or 
elsewhere. 

I  shall  not  remain  more  than  a  fortnight  more  here.  The 
reduction  of  the  Statute  Laws  of  the  State  claims  my  attention 
peremptorily.  Jack  Middleton,  Trescot  and  Henry  Young  are 
retained,  but  I  find  it  very  difficult  to  transfer  the  discretionary 
[powers]  or  rather  they  can  not  be  transferred.  This  prevents  me 
from  making  as  much  out  of  their  talents  as  I  would  desire  to  do. 
Johnston  is  gone  with  his  North  Carolina  Regiment.  It  is 
rumored  that  he  is  to  join  Wise's  army  in  western  Virginia.  I 
am  sorry  for  it.  There  is  in  my  mind  a  discrepancy  between  the 
functions  of  a  General  and  the  part  of  an  orator  like  Wise  who 
speaks  from  Monday  morning  till  Saturday  night.  But  I  have 
not  had  a  line  from  Johnston  since  he  left  Charleston.  The  love 
we  all  bear  you  here  is  undiminished  and  so  they  bid  me  tell  you, 
making  regard  to  the  kiml  and  charming  young  lady  who  bears 
you  companv.  You  will  gratify  me  if  you  will  tell  Willie  that 
I  am  somewhat  surprised  that  he  has  not  written  to  his  Grand- 
mother nor  to  me.     I  have  the  more  reason  to  regret,  because  I 


392  -^i/^?  Letters  and  Speeches 

was  struck  with  the  improvement  in  the  letters  which  you 
showed  me;  and  have  no  doubt  that  his  correspondence  would 
have  been  interesting  and  agreeable. 

Receive  dear  child,  the  affectionate  vows  of  your 

Parent. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Badwell,  5  September,  1861. 
My  dear  Child: 

*  *  *  You  will  naturally  look  for  news  in  a  letter  from 
America.  But  we  are  here  out  of  the  way  of  newspapers,  and 
get  all  our  news  at  second  hand.  It  is  announced  that  Adams 
express  no  longer  takes  letters  for  the  North;  and  as  the  port  is 
strictly  blockaded  no  communication  can  be  had  with  the  out- 
side world  but  at  the  risk  of  running  the  blockade,  which  a  few 
succeed  in  doing.  It  is  highly  probable  that  when  you  receive 
this  you  will  know  a  great  deal  more  about  American  news  than 
I  do.  The  great  actions  have  been  to  the  advantage  of  the 
Confederates;  but  the  U.  S.  troops  are  in  possession  of  the  North 
Carolina  forts  near  Hatteras  which  have  been  captured.  To 
my  vision  the  horizon  is  as  dark  as  ever.  The  press  on  both 
sides  makes  every  exertion  to  cheat  the  partizans  with  signs  of 
fair  weather,  and  there  is  no  depending  on  anything  you  read 
unless  it  comes  officially.  Then  we  have  only  the  allowable 
misrepresentations  of  exaggeration  and  suppression  to  appre- 
hend. The  chance  of  having  letters  forwarded  is  so  precarious, 
that  I  am  far  from  sure  that  this  will  ever  reach  you.  If  it  does 
it  will  only  be  valuable  as  a  reward  of  the  little  interest  I  have  in 
public  affairs,  and  my  great  interest  I  have  in  you  and  Willie. 
Make  me  remembered  to  him  and  receive,  dearest  Caroline,  my 
heartfelt  vows  for  your  well  being  of 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Summerville,  30  September,  1861. 
My  dear  Sue: 

I  have  received  both  your  letters;  as  to  the  last,  I  feel  great 
concern  about  Hurlbut.  If  I  had  any  confidence  in  the  effect  of 
a  personal  application,  I  would  go  to  Richmond  to  get  intro- 
duced to  Gov.  Letcher,  but  my  known  proclivities  to  the  Union 
forbid  the  supposition  of  accomplishing  anything  by  that  course. 
I  have  in  my  mind  a  measure,  which  if  I  succeed  in,  may  result 
in  obtaining  his  liberation  through  the  agency  of  another  person. 
I  am  sorry  that  Mr.  Mason  is  absent  and  that  I  could  not  see  him 
in  Charleston,  for  I  would  certainly  laboured  with  him  to  inter- 
fere.    Hurlbut's  case  is  a  very  hard  one,  but  it  must  be  con- 


'James  Louis  Petigru  393 

fessed  that  all  the  stories  he  tells  about  his  coming  to  Charleston 
are  very  strange.  Even  to  secessionists  it  must  appear  strange, 
that  a  man  attached  to  the  Union  should  join  them  just  at  the 
time  when  they  had  put  themselves  clearly  in  the  wrong,  and 
that  he  should  come  to  Charleston  of  all  the  places  in  the  world, 
where  his  former  principles  had  gained  him  a  painful  notoriety, 
and  nothing  was  known  ol  his  recent  change.  If  the  unhappy 
fellow  had  stood  his  ground,  we  might  have  done  much  to  abate 
public  animosity,  and  it  is  not  likely  that  our  mob  would  have 
asked  anything  more  than  his  expulsion  from  the  Confederacy, 
which,  now,  would  be  the  height  ot  his  wishes.  But  I  repeat,  I 
will  make  a  strong  effort  soon  in  his  behalf, — as  soon  as  I  am 
able.  His  unpopularity  is  so  vast,  that  circumspection  is  neces- 
sary, not  on  my  own  account  but  on  his,  in  every  attempt  to 
mollify  his  keepers.  It  is  a  horrible  instance  of  the  horrors  of 
civil  war;  a  state  of  things,  which  the  clergy  have  done  their 
best  to  bring  about,  with  the  approving  smiles  of  the  gentle  sex. 
*  *  *  I  am,  dear  Sue,  your  affectionate,  tho'  oftentimes 
discouraged 

Papa. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Summerville,  October  1st,  1861. 

No  doubt  the  boys  are  very  proud  of  the  service  as  your  body 
guard  at  Cherry  Hill.  I  hope  they  may  never  engage  in  any 
service  that  is  not  equally  meritorious.  I  suppose  the  flag  for 
the  Willington  Guards  is  ready.  But  why  don't  we  hear  of  Mr. 
Burt's  speech? 

Mr.  Mason  and  Mr.  Slidell  are  in  Charleston.     They  are  not 

on  their  way  to  Tampico,  as  the  papers  pretend,  but  are  going 

to  fight  their  way  on  to  the  steamer  Nashville,  which  is  much 

faster  than  any  blockading  squadron,  and  can  go  in   by  the 

Maffetts  Channel,  which  is  too  shallow  for  the  blockade  ships. 
*     *     * 

Embrace  the  boys  in  my  name  and  Louise.  Sister  sends  love 
and  protestations,  which  is  no  more  than  that  felt  bv 

Your  Brother. 

Wednesday. 
I  am  back  in  town.  Back  is  better.  I  have  seen  Messrs 
Mason  and  Slidell,  and  Henry  read  me  a  letter  from  Johnston, 
who  is  at  Dumfries,  and  his  regiment  comparatively  healthy; 
Ben  is  to  join  him.  He  censures  the  commissariat.  Thinks  the 
general  staff  careless  ot  the  health  ot  the  men,  but  consoles  him- 
self that  our  army  is  in  better  condition  than  the  English,  who 
have  sometimes  gained  victories,  but  refers  it  to  the  pluck  of  the 
men.     Adieu. 


394  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Charleston,  7  October,  1861. 
My  dear  Sue: 

it  is  really  a  treat  to  hear  good  news,  and  Mr.  Lyon's  entrance 
on  the  stage  is  good  news  for  Hurlbut  as  well  as  for  you  and  me, 
for  I  think  Hurlbut's  incarceration  was  becoming  every  day  more 
oppressive  to  him  and  his  friends.  I  believe  he  is  more  indebted 
to  you  than  to  me,  for  you  put  the  Governor  [Pickens]  upon  his 
mettle,  and  he  wrote  a  very  significant  letter  to  the  Virginian, 
which  in  all  probability  was  the  cause  of  his  remitting  the  case 
to  Mr.  Lyons.  With  Mr.  Lyons  my  intercourse  is  compara- 
tively slight,  but  I  had  written  to  him  before  I  received  your 
letter  and  I  would  not  recall  it.  If  it  comes  where  it  is  not 
needed,  it  will  at  least  not  render  him  less  satisfied  with  what  he 
has  done.  I  hope  the  next  time  our  friend  changes  his  coat,  he 
will  step  out  of  it  more  easily;  or,  what  is  better,  I  hope  he  will 
never  give  his  enemies  such  an  opportunity  of  trampling  on  him 
as  Brown  and  Toombs  have  enjoyed.  The  letter  was  evidently  a 
contrivance,  and  I  don't  wonder  that  Cobb  has  never  written  to 
me.  If  he  could  be  taken  in  by  such  a  bald  trick,  he  might  be 
ashamed  of  himself.     I'll  present  you  duly  to  Ma  and  think  of 

you  as  well  as  I  can. 

Your  Parent. 

When  Hurlbut  was  released  on  parole,  one  afternoon  he  hired 
a  buggy  and  promptly  fled  across  the  Potomac.  He  returned  to 
New  York,  where  he  resumed  his  occupation  as  a  journalist,  and 
eventually  became  editor  of  the  New  York  World. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  1884,  while  in  England,  he  married  Miss 
Tracy,  of  New  York.  He  took  to  going  to  church  and  became  a 
well  conducted  citizen,  but  a  lady  of  New  York,  describing  him 
as  a  married  man,  said  that  he  reminded  her  of  tame  venison. 
He  died  in  Rome,  in  1894.  He  was  no  doubt  a  genius — brilliant, 
witty,  genial,  and  capable  of  great  kindness,  but  to  the  end  of  his 
days  there  probably  never  existed  a  man  with  a  greater  pro- 
clivity for  getting  himself  wound  up  in  mysterious  entanglements. 


"James  Louis  Peiigru  395 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

October,  1861 

Mr.  Petigru's  Argument  Against  Sequestration  Act 

On  October  7,  1861,  the  first  term  of  the  Confederate  court  for 
the  trial  of  criminal  cases  was  held  and  Mr.  Petigru  read  a  writ 
of  Garnishment  served  upon  him,  and  the  interrogatories 
attached  in  reference  to  alien  enemies'  property.  His  objection 
to  these  interrogatories  was,  he  stated,  that  no  human  authority 
had  the  right  to  put  these  questions  to  him  or  any  one  in  the  same 
circumstances.  He  might  recognize  the  authority  of  the  State 
of  South  Carolina  to  do  as  proposed  by  that  Act,  because  in  a 
State  like  South  Carolina  a  sufferer  has  no  security  or  remedy 
against  those  in  power,  unless  from  some  guarantee  in  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  State.  For  a  State  may  do  whatever  it  is  not 
forbidden  to  do  by  the  fundamental  law  of  the  State.  But  the 
Confederate  States  have  no  such  claim  to  generality.  Their 
authority  is  confined  to  the  constitution  which  confers  it  and  the 
powers  delegated  to  them.  And  whereas,  in  the  case  of  a  sover- 
eign we  must  show  a  guarantee  against  the  power;  in  the  case  of 
the  Confederacy  they  must  show  a  warrant  for  their  warrant. 

There  is  no  article  in  the  Constitution  of  the  Confederate 
States  which  authorizes  them  to  set  up  an  inquisition,  or  to  pro- 
ceed otherwise  than  according  to  the  law  of  the  land.  In  fact 
the  best  authority  for  this  proceeding  is  Hudson's  treatise  on  the 
Star  Chamber,  in  Second  Collectanea  Juridica.  It  will  be  found 
that  the  method  prescribed  in  this  Confiscation  Act  is  precisely 
that  of  the  Star  Chamber.  They  call  this  a  writ  of  Garnishment. 
Mr.  Hudson  calls  it  a  subpoena.  This  calls  upon  me  to  disclose 
all  the  cases,  in  my  knowledge,  of  property  held  by  an  alien 
enemy. 

Mr.  Hudson's  writ  requires  the  party  to  appear  before  the 
Star  Chamber,  and  answer  all  questions  that  shall  be  put  to  him. 
These  are  alike  in  being  general.  There  is  no  plaintiff.  It  is  a 
general  inquisition.  So  when  the  writ  is  returned,  Mr. 
Attorney's  writ  propounds  certain  questions  to  be  answered, 


396  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

and  requires  the  party  to  answer  every  other  question  that  may 
be  asked.  So  it  was  in  the  Star  Chamber.  Certain  interroga- 
tories were  put  and  then  a  personal  examination  was  had,  con- 
sisting sometimes  of  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  questions.  This 
is  a  writ  unknown  to  the  common  law.  How  does  the  Confed- 
erate States  get  the  right  to  issue  the  writ?  It  is  not  only  not 
known  to  the  common  law,  but  it  is  condemned  by  common  right, 
and  connected  with  the  most  odious  usurpation  of  power  and 
tyranny.  If  this  proceeding  is  sustained,  Mr.  Hudson's  will 
become  a  valuable  book  of  practice.  If  no  such  power  has  been 
granted,  how  can  such  a  thing  be  legal?  The  Confederate 
Government  can  appeal  to  no  warrant  for  this  proceeding  except 
the  war-making  power.  It  will  be  said  that  the  power  of  making 
war  is  granted;  and  that  confiscation  is  the  incident;  and  that  the 
right  of  the  principle  is  the  incident.  That  may  be  admitted. 
What  is  incident  to  cases  of  the  war  power  the  grant  of  the  war 
power  covers.  But  does  the  war  power  require  the  creation  of  a 
Star  Chamber,  to  worry  and  harass  our  people?  These  inter- 
rogatories are  not  for  the  enemies  of  the  country,  but  for  friends 
and  citizens  of  the  country;  those  who  have  the  right  to  stand 
upon  the  Magna  Charta,  upon  the  Constitution  of  the  State; 
those  who  have  never  done  anything  to  forfeit  their  right. 
Where  is  the  authority  given?  Where  is  the  power  to  call  upon 
the  citizen  in  a  new  and  unheard  of  manner,  to  answer  questions 
upon  oath  for  the  purpose  of  forcing  the  confiscation  law?  Shall 
it  be  said  that  it  is  to  furnish  means  for  carrying  on  the  war? 
How  can  that  be  said  to  be,  what  is  absolutely  never  known  to 
have  been  done  before?  Was  there  never  anybody  that  fought 
before  Gen.  Beauregard?  War,  unfortunately,  is  not  a  new 
thing.  Its  history  is  found  on  every  page.  Was  there  ever  a 
war  measure  like  this,  endured,  practiced,  or  heard  of?  It  cer- 
tainly is  not  found  among  the  people  from  whom  we  derive  the 
common  law.  No  English  monarch  or  Parliament  has  ever 
sanctioned  or  undertaken  such  a  thing.  It  is  utterly  inconsis- 
tent with  the  common  law  to  require  an  inquisitorial  examin- 
ation of  the  subjects  of  the  realm  to  support  the  laws  of  war.  It 
is  no  more  a  part  of  the  law  of  war  than  it  is  a  part  of  the  law  of 

peace. 

The  war-making  power  does  not  include  the  power  of  compel- 
ling innocent  people  to  answer  interrogatories  in  promotion  of 


"James  Louis  Petigru  397 

confiscation.  That  the  power  is  exercised  for  a  good  and  laud- 
able purpose  is  no  answer.  Good  ends  must  be  attained  by 
lawful  means.  All  that  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  end  and 
object  proposed,  can  be  said  in  favor  of  the  Star  Chamber,  and 
the  Spanish  Inquisition. 

Torquemada  set  on  the  latter  institution  from  the  best  of 
motives.  It  was  to  save  men's  souls.  He  labored  most 
earnestly  in  season  and  out  of  season,  and  when  high  necessity 
commanded,  he  burnt  their  bodies  to  save  their  souls.  He 
burnt  the  bodies  of  Jews  and  Protestants. 

We  do  not  consider  that  the  end  justifies  the  means  in  these 
days,  but  Torquemada  might  have  burnt  Jews  and  Protestants 
without  calling  upon  their  best  friends  to  inform  against  them, 
and  making  it  penal  not  to  do  so.  He  referred  and  derived  his 
construction  from  the  Sacred  Word  and  it  is  not  to  be  denied 
that  he  was  justified  in  referring  to  the  Sacred  Word,  so  far  as  he 
proved  that  true  faith  is  essential  to  salvation,  and  starting  from 
these  premises,  he  could  argue  with  great  effect  that  any  means 
were  lawful  which  would  tend  to  an  end  so  good.  It  is  often 
pretended  that  the  war  power  includes  the  power  of  interrogat- 
ing every  man  in  the  community  in  aid  of  confiscation. 

The  war  power  includes  as  an  incident  everything  that  is 
necessary  or  usual.  It  can  not  be  pretended  that  this  is  neces- 
sary or  usual,  since  it  never  was  done  before.  This  is  not  the 
first  war  that  ever  was  waged,  and  the  laws  of  war  are  not  the 
subject  of  wild  speculation.  Now  the  means  granted  to  obtain 
this  end  are  based  upon  the  supposition  that  the  end  deserves  all 
commendation,  that  nothing  in  the  world  is  more  calculated  to 
advance  the  repute  of  the  country,  than  to  be  keen  in  searching 
out  the  property  of  enemies  and  proceeding  against  them  when 
they  have  no  opportunity  of  being  heard,  and  to  impoverish 
them  by  taking  away  the  earnings  of  their  industry  and  apply- 
ing it  to  other  uses.  Grant  that  it  is  desirable,  is  it  to  be  attained 
by  unlawful  means?  Let  the  confiscation  law  proceed  with  full 
vigor,  but  why  call  upon  me  to  give  an  opinion  concerning  con- 
fiscating property,  any  more  than  any  other  crime  that  I  know 
of.? 

It  would  be  the  most  intolerable  hardship  for  me — for  a  citizen 
— at  every  quarter  session  to  be  obliged  to  tell  all  he  knows  or 
suspects  against  his  neighbor.     It  is  pretended  that  this  is  an 


398  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

innocent  proceeding.  How  can  it  be  innocent  which  calls  upon 
one  to  commit  a  breach  of  trust?  To  break  faith  with  a  friend 
is  not  only  disreputable  in  a  trustee,  but  base.  How  can  that  be 
considered  innocent,  which  compels  a  man  to  do  what  will  make 
him  despised  by  all  honorable  men  ?  But  if  the  case  of  a  trustee 
calls  for  relief,  how  much  more  the  case  of  an  attorney  or  person 
charged  with  professional  confidence. 

The  law  protects  every  man  in  keeping  silence  when  the 
question  is  asked  that  involves  professional  confidence.  There 
can  be  no  greater  oppression  than  to  compel  a  person  to  violate 
a  moral  or  legal  duty.  Something  should  be  said  about  the 
objects  of  this  law,  for  there  is  a  very  common  error  in  suppos- 
ing that  it  applies  to  the  estates  of  natives  who  are  living  abroad 
in  an  enemy's  country.  The  term  alien  enemy  is  the  only  one 
used  in  the  Act.  It  is  a  definite  technical  construction.  An 
alien  enemy  must  be  born  out  of  the  allegiance  of  the  sovereign. 
There  can  be  no  dispute  about  it.  He  is  not  an  alien  if  he  was 
born  within  the  domains  of  the  sovereign.  A  sovereign  has  a 
right  to  require  a  return.  He  may  call  on  him  to  come  home. 
What  it  is  in  the  sovereign's  power  to  do  and  what  he  may  law- 
fully do  with  his  subject  when  he  refuses  to  return  is  another 
matter.  But  until  he  has  been  called  on  by  his  sovereign  to 
return,  a  man  commits  no  breach  of  duty  living  in  an  enemy's 
country  according  to  law.  It  is  impossible  that  the  masters  of 
the  law  should  not  have  been  aware  of  this,  and  they  seem  to 
have  purposely  left  this  open  for  the  interposition  of  humanity. 
Mr.  Petigru  denied  that  there  was  any  precedent  for  this  law; 
a  freeman  could  not  be  compelled  to  aid  in  this  confiscating  law 
by  informing  against  both  his  friends  and  enemies.  It  was  this 
which  caused  those  brave  men  to  shake  the  pillar  of  monarchy 
to  its  base  and  abolish  the  Star  Chamber,  but  to  do  it  with  the 
declaration  that  no  such  thing  should  ever  be  tolerated  again. 
Are  we  going  in  the  heyday  of  our  youth  to  set  an  example  which 
has  been  repudiated  by  every  lover  and  friend  of  freedom  from 
the  beginning  of  time  to  this  day,  which  has  never  found  an 
advocate,  shocks  the  conscience  and  invades  the  rights  of  the 
private  citizen.''  Mr.  Petigru  dwelt  for  some  time  on  the  hard- 
ship and  injustice  of  compelling  a  trustee  to  betray  his  trusts, 
to  turn  State's  evidence  against  his  bosom  friends.  Is  it  necessary 
not  only  that  the  act  of  cruelty  should  be  done,  but  that  a  friend 


Jaynes  Louis  Petigru  399 

to  the  parties  should  be  made  to  take  a  part  in  the  sacrificial 
act?  He  admitted  the  common  law  does  not  spare  the  trustee, 
that  he  is  bound  to  give  evidence  in  court  to  show  what  property 
he  has  in  trust,  if  it  is  claimed  by  one  who  claims  or  asserts  a 
better  title  to  it.  But  this  calls  upon  every  attorney  to  betray 
his  client  and  make  an  exposure  of  that  which  tends  to  ruin  the 
man  who  has  placed  entire  confidence  in  his  attorney.  It  is  an 
extraordinary  stretch  of  power  in  an  extraordinary  time,  when 
we  are  endeavoring  to  make  good  before  the  world  our  right  to 
its  respect  as  an  enlightened  people;  a  people  capable  of  self- 
government,  and  of  governing  themselves  in  a  manner  worthy 
of  the  civilization  and  of  the  light  of  the  age,  and  this  Act, 
borrowed  from  the  darkest  periods  of  tyranny,  is  dug  up  from  the 
very  quarters  of  despotism  and  put  forward  as  our  sentiments. 
They  were  not  his  sentiments,  and  sorry  would  he  be,  if  in  this 
sentiment,  he  was  solitary  and  alone. 

Mr.  Petigru  contended  that  no  definition  had  been  given  of 
the  alien.  It  is  obvious  that  in  this  respect  the  law  is  lame  and 
does  not,  even  if  aided  by  all  the  terrors  of  the  inquisition,  affect 
those  who  are  natives.  He  could  not  account  for  this,  except 
upon  the  supposition  that  those  who  drew  the  law  did  not  wish 
it  to  operate  farther  than  as  a  brutum  fuhnen  and  left  a  loop-hole 
for  escape.  It  is  a  wide  door — a  back  door,  but  it  is  a  wide 
entrance  into  the  halls  of  justice. 

So  far  as  he  was  personally  concerned  with  this  writ,  he  could 
answer  every  one  of  the  questions  in  the  negative.  With  regard 
to  that  which  requires  the  violation  of  personal  confidence  he 
must  be  better  instructed,  before  making  up  his  mind  to  the 
order  of  confiscating  or  not.  There  are  cases  when  it  is  dishonor 
or  death,  and  death  will  certainly  be  chosen  by  every  man  who 
deserves  the  name. 

Mr.  Miles,  the  District  Attorney,  moved  that  Mr.  Petigru  make 
a  return  to  the  Court  of  Garnishment  in  which  the  questions 
stated  by  him  should  be  raised.  He  called  the  attention  of  the 
audience,  for  whose  benefit  the  remarks  of  the  respondent  seemed 
to  have  been  made,  to  the  singular  position  which  the  eminent 
repondent  today  for  the  first  time  occupied. 

That  it  was  not  strange  that  one  who  had  so  often  distin- 
guished himself  by  the  undaunted  boldness  with  which  he  threw 
himself  in  opposition  to  the  weight  of  public  opinion,  should  be 


400  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

the  one  who  now  invoked  the  aid  of  the  Court  to  protect  those 
whom  the  law  of  Congress  designates  as  alien  enemies,  but 
whom  he  still  prides  himself  in  calling  his  "fellow-citizens," 
from  the  tyranny  of  a  government  which  attempts  to  make  their 
property  subject  to  the  rules  of  war.  This  was  consistent  with 
his  past  position.  But  it  was  certainly  a  remarkable  metamor- 
phosis, that  the  eminent  jurist  who  had  stood  fearlessly  and 
almost  alone  in  his  opposition  to  the  political  sentiments  of  the 
State,  should  now  invoke  the  strictest  and  sternest  construction 
of  States'  Rights  that  had  ever  been  contended  for  even  in  South 
Carolina,  in  opposition  to  the  power  of  the  Confederate  Govern- 
ment to  pass  a  law  in  relation  to  a  subject-matter  expressly 
intrusted  to  Congress  by  the  Constitution. 

It  is  true  that  the  profession  of  submission  to  the  authority  of 
the  State  in  this  matter  was  accompanied  by  the  explanation 
that  such  submission  would  be  given  only  because  there  could  be 
no  successful  resistance  to  the  tyranny.  But,  even  with  this 
qualification,  the  acknowledgment  of  the  authority  of  the  State 
was  remarkable  from  such  a  quarter. 

The  next  day  Mr.  Petigru  received  the  following  letter  from 
Alfred  Huger,  Postmaster  of  Charleston  since  1839. 

FROM  ALFRED  HUGER  TO  PETIGRU 

Octobers,  1861. 
My  dear  Petigru: 

All  that  concerns  you  enters  into  my  mind  as  tho'  the  issue 
was  with  myself,  and  whenever  it  is  otherwise  I  shall  have  lost 
what  has  sometimes  made  me  acceptable  to  the  virtuous  and  the 
brave. 

I  was,  as  you  well  know,  born  under  the  rule  of  impulse  and  of 
instinct,  and  so,  following  my  own  nature,  we  have  differed  about 
the  "necessity"  of  this  unhappy  revolution,  and  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  retrace  those  steps  which  developments  of  each  suc- 
ceeding day  seem  to  justify.  I  would  gladly  have  died  to  save 
the  Union,  but  God  has  decreed  that  we  were  not  worthy  of  a 
great  [end?l  and  I  must  say,  I  hold  the  North  to  be  responsible, 
as  the  instruments  of  its  dissolution.  Beyond  this  I  am  with 
you,  and  will  stand  with  you,  or  fall  with  you.  The  rniserable 
idea  of  suppressing  truth  in  the  name  of  public  opinion  is  no  less 
Jacobinical  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  than  it  has  been  on  the 
other;  and  Heaven  has  provided  men  like  yourself  to  resist  such 
aggression  wherever  and  whenever  it  appears;  the  defense  of  the 


James  Louis  Petigru  401 

weak  and  the  absent  is  your  peculiar  province;  mine  is  to  look 
on  with  admiration  at  the  head;  so  quick  to  perceive  what  is 
unjust;  and  at  the  heart  which  is  so  invincible  in  standing  up 
against   it. 

I  thank  God  for  the  opportunity  which  has  bound  me  to  you 
for  more  than  fifty  years;  and  I  thank  him  more  for  the  convic- 
tion that  it  will  be  brighter  and  brighter,  as  I  shall  become 
capable  of  appreciating  what  is  elevated  and  generous  in  this 
world,  causing  a  purer  hopefulness  of  what  awaits  us  in  the 
next.  Faithfully  and  affectionately  yours, 

Alfred  Huger. 

Dinner  will  be  at  our  house  for  you  always.  My  wife  is  not 
improved. 

On  October  15  Mr.  Petigru  delivered  his  argument.  His 
clients  were  Major  Rawlins  Lowndes,  William  Lowndes,  and 
Mrs.  Abraham  Van  Buren,  of  New  York,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  Colonel  John  Singleton,  of  Wateree,  S.  C;  the  funds  of  the 
Mount  Vernon  Association,  in  the  hands  of  Miss  A.  Parmelee 
Cunningham,  and  some  colored  people  of  Philadelphia  who  were 
beneficiaries  of  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Kohn.  The  presiding  judge 
was  the  Hon.  A.  G.  Magrath,  who  had  been  a  law  student  under 
Mr.  Petigru,  for  whom  he  had  the  greatest  regard. 

Mr.  Petigru  opened  his  argument  by  stating  that  his  demur- 
rer would  be  sustained  by  him  upon  two  grounds: 

First.  The  Writ  of  Garnishment,  as  it  is  called,  is  illegal 
and  unwarranted.  Secondly,  that  the  purpose  of  the  Writ, 
which  is  the  confiscation  of  enemies'  debts,  is  not  within  the 
competency  of  the  Confederate  Government. 

No  man  has  the  right  to  put  a  free  man  upon  his  oath, — to 
purge  his  conscience,  by  compelling  a  solemn  appeal  to  Heaven 
but  according  to  law;  and  the  law  gives  that  authority  only  in  a 
judicial  proceeding  to  testify  as  a  witness;  to  answer  to  matters 
charged  against  him;  to  obey  the  call  of  the  Sovereign  by  taking 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  or  the  oath  of  office.  The  oath  of  office, 
the  oath  of  allegiance,  the  obligation  of  testifying  to  the  truth  in 
a  Court  of  Justice  between  parties  litigant  are  acknowledged. 
We  were  never  famous  for  opposition  to  authority.  No  person 
was  more  ready  to  render  to  Caesar  all  that  Caesar  had  a  decent 
pretext  to  demand.  But  obedience  to  this  Writ  which  requires  a 
general  discovery  of  alien  enemies,  and  all  the  information  in 
the  power  of  the  party  summoned  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 
what  property  of  alien  enemies  may  be  come  at,  I  deny  and  refuse 
to  answer.     And  the  reason  of  this  refusal  is  simple,  although  it 


402  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

seems  to  surprise  some,  but  as  St.  Paul  says,  I  was  born  free  and 
will  not  forfeit  that  freedom  which  I  inherit  from  my  free  mother, 
I  will  not  submit  to  be  commanded  where  there  is  no  right  to 
command. 

The  Clerk  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Confederate  States  has 
issued  a  writ  commanding  the  person  to  whom  it  is  addressed 
to  appear  in  Court  and  answer  all  such  questions  as  shall  be  put 
to  him  respecting  alien  enemies.  He  that  does  not  cherish  the 
rights  of  a  free  man  is  unworthy  of  his  birthright. 

It  is  not  a  circular  calling  on  the  party  to  come  forward  with 
money  and  information,  nor  an  advertisement  offering  a  reward 
for  discovery,  but  it  is  a  command,  an  order  from  a  superior 
bidding  the  subject  to  do  what  is  mentioned.  It  pre-supposes  or 
takes  for  granted  that  the  superior  from  whom  it  emanates  has 
authority  to  compel  the  party  to  disclose  all  the  information  in 
his  power,  at  least,  on  a  given  subject.  That  subject  is  the  con- 
fiscation of  enemies'  goods.  To  confiscate  the  property  of  ene- 
mies may  be  a  rightful  branch  of  sovereign  power.  While  upon 
this  point  the  question  is  not  whether  the  law  of  Nations  allows 
or  favors  confiscation.  Nations  have  set  the  example  of  the 
practice,  and  rulers  that  have  been  willing  to  adopt  it,  have  never 
wanted  delators  and  traitors,  spies  and  informers,  to  turn  the 
grindstone  for  sharpening  the  axe  of  power.  In  discussing  this 
point  we  leave  undisturbed  the  complacency  of  them  who  look 
with  favor  upon  the  scenes  of  confiscation  which  have  grieved 
and  disgusted  the  wisest  and  best  of  men.  Let  them  enjoy  their 
opinion.  But  the  subject  declines  obedience  to  this  order.  He 
acknowledges  that  it  comes  from  a  high  power  and  the  only 
reason  why  he  disobeys  is  that  he  is  a  free  man,  and  has  the  same 
right  to  withstand  an  inquisitorial  examination  that  the  poor 
man  has  to  close  the  door  of  his  humble  shed  against  the  foot  of 
power. 

In  the  first  place  it  will  hardly  be  denied  that  the  Government 
of  the  Confederacy  is  a  Government  of  special  and  limited 
powers.  Under  the  United  States  Sovereignty  was  the  root  of 
bitterness.  Federalists,  (and  anyone  who  thinks  it  will  help  his 
argument  may  say  that  I  was  one)  contended  that  the  Federal 
and  State  Governments  were  co-ordinate  authorities,  and  that 
they  were  both  sovereign  in  their  respective  spheres.  Perhaps 
they  were  wrong;  perhaps  there  is  an  incompatibility  in  nature  as 
there  seems  to  be  in  language,  between  ideas  of  sovereignty  and 
disability— that  the  idea  of  a  partial  sovereignty  is  a  solecism. 
But  that  difficulty,  so  far  as  we  are  concerned,  is  set  at  rest  by 
the  Constitution  of  the  Confederate  States,  which  positively, 
plainly  and  without  equivocation  excludes  any  encroachment  on 
the  full  and  entire  sovereignty  of  the  several  States.  Therefore, 
what  was  once  doubtful  is  now  clear.  Dr.  Cooper's  argument  has 
triumphed:  his  visions  are  realized.     We  have  a  Constitution 


James  Louis  Petigru  403 

which  is  free  from  ambiguity,  and  a  government  which  is  a  mere 
agency;  and  shame  must  be  the  portion  ot  him  that  would  deny 
that  the  Confederate  (Government  is  confined  to  the  powers 
expre-siy  delegated,  and  that  beyond  those  limits  its  acts  are 
unwarranted.  (See  Cooper's  Exposition  of  Nullification,  1 
Stat,  of  South  Carolina,  218,  221.) 

Now  if  this  was  a  question  between  man  and  man — if  a  neigh- 
bor came  to  ask  such  a  question  on  the  part  and  behalf  of  another 
person,  one  would  naturally  expect  that  he  had  express  direc- 
tions to  interrogate  on  the  subject,  or  some  subject  leading  to  it. 
We  would  expect  here,  if  the  Confederate  States  send  such  a 
demand,  to  find  that  their  principals — those  for  whom  they 
assume  to  act — had  authorized  them  to  examine  all  men  upon 
every  subject  on  which  they  needed  information,  or  at  least  on 
that  particular  subject.  How  would  it  answer  for  the  party  to 
produce  instead  of  a  warrant  to  purge  the  conscience  of  the  party 
a  warrant  to  seize  enemies'  goods? 

Let  us  forego  the  rigor  of  logic;  let  us  concede  that  the  grant 
of  the  power  to  seize  enemies'  goods  will  authorize  all  that  is 
incident  to  that  power.  There  is  no  more  connection  between 
the  power  of  proceeding  against  enemies'  goods,  and  purging  the 
conscience,  than  between  this  inquisitorial  Act,  and  the  power 
of  collecting  revenue,  of  levying  imposts  or  punishing  counter- 
feiting. In  United  States  vs.  Brown,  8  Cr.  110,  Ch.  J.  Marshall 
rules  that  the  power  over  captures  by  land  or  water  is  not  inci- 
dent to  the  war  power,  but  is  a  separate  substantive  power. 
Yet  surely  the  power  to  make  rules  for  captures  by  land  or  water, 
is  more  like  an  incident  to  the  war  power  than  an  inquisition 
into  the  state  of  any  man's  conscience  or  knowledge  to  the 
power  of  making  rules  concerning  captures  in  time  of  war. 

As  to  what  is  incident  to  a  grant,  the  rule  is  well  understood  in 
the  law — cuicumque  aliquis  quid  concedit  concedere  videtur  et  id 
sinequo  ipsa  concessio  esse  non  potiiit.  Whoever  grants  a  thing 
is  supposed  absolutely  to  grant  that  without  which  the  grant 
itself^  would  be  of  no  effect.  (Brown's  Maxims,  426.)  So  the 
power  to  make  by-laws  is  incident  to  a  corporation.  But  under 
this  rule  are  comprehended  only  things  directly  necessary. 

Legists  of  the  highest  reputation  distinguish  between  things 
which  are  of  the  essence  of  a  grant;  those  which  are  of  its  nature, 
and  those  which  are  accidental.  Those  which  are  of  the  essence 
of  a  contract  are  such  as  without  the  contract  can  not  exist. 
Those  which  are  of  its  nature  are  as  if  not  expressly  excluded, 
follow  the  grant  as  a  matter  of  course.  Such  is  the  power  of  a 
corporation  to  make  by-laws.  Those  which  are  accidental  are 
such  as  are  not  included  in  the  grant  unless  expressly  named. 
(Evans'  Pothier,  6-7.) 

Debts  are  not  usually  confiscated  except  in  war;  but  so  far  is 
the  power  from  being  the  natural  consequence  of  war,  that  it  is 


404  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

most  rarely  resorted  to  among  European  nations.  And  in  the 
East  where  it  finds  a  congenial  soil,  it  is  practiced  equally  in 
peace  and  war. 

But,  disregarding  all  pedantry  or  grammatical  strictness,  I 
will  go  the  very  furthest  brink  of  concession,  and  notwithstand- 
ing Dr.  Cooper  admits  that  the  Confederacy  may  exercise  as 
much  constructive  power  as  the  United  States  could  or  ever  did. 

Such  a  concession  will  not  authorize  them  to  exercise  in  a 
civil  suit,  a  procedure  unknown  to  common  law,  and  in  deroga- 
tion of  the  rights  of  the  subject.  Even  if  the  people  had  given 
to  the  Confederacy  the  power  expressly  to  seize  the  property  of 
enemies  that  come  here  under  the  safeguard  of  peace  and  to 
sequester  all  debts  due  to  our  creditors,  the  agent  would  be 
bound  in  exercising  that  power  to  proceed  by  the  law  that  the 
principal  is  bound  by.  The  Confederate  Government  may 
arrest  offenders  against  the  Acts  of  Congress:  but  can  they  issue 
a  general  warrant.''  Can  they  alter  the  law  of  evidence,  or 
change  the  procedure  of  the  Courts.^  Nothing  can  be  done 
more  inconsistent  with  the  relation  of  principal  and  agent,  than 
that  the  agent  should  discard  the  law  of  the  principal  and 
resort  to  means  in  the  execution  of  his  authority  which  are,  by 
the  law  of  the  principal,  unlawful.  Let  him  sequester  debts, 
but  for  God's  sake,  let  him  keep  his  hand  from  General  Warrant 
and  the  machinery  of  the  Star  Chamber! 

All  Courts  must  follow  the  established  course  of  procedure. 
If  it  be  a  common  Law  Court,  the  procedure  of  the  common  law; 
if  it  be  the  Ecclesiastical  Court,  the  Canon  law;  if  a  Prize  Court, 
the  course  of  the  civil  law  incorporated  with  the  practice  of  those 
Courts.     (Bacon's  Ab.  Buller,  N.  P.,  219  ) 

Now  is  this  a  common  law  proceeding  or  a  proceeding  in  the 
Prize  Court?  Is  it  a  civil  or  criminal  proceeding?  Is  it  an 
incident,  a  thing  without  which  the  judicial  vigor  of  common 
law,  criminal  law  or  prize  law  will  be  impaired? 

The  most  inveterate  dispute  on  the  subject  of  constructive 
powers  was  the  incorporation  of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States. 
It  was  defended  on  the  ground  that  all  civilized  people  of  the 
present  age  have  a  Government  to  aid  in  the  collection,  dis- 
bursement and  safe  keeping  of  the  revenue.  It  was  argued  that 
it  was  incidental  to  the  power  of  raising  and  disbursing  revenue, 
because  it  was  usual,  and  without  it  the  thing  could  not  be  done 
as  well.  That  the  creation  of  a  corporation  was  an  ordinary 
exercise  of  legislative  power  in  aid  of  some  public  purpose.  That 
it  was  not  a  substantive  but  an  adjective  branch  of  legislation, 
and  was  therefore  capable  of  fairly  coming  within  the  definition 
of  a  law  necessary  and  proper  to  the  due  discharge  of  the  duty 
and  power  of  the  Government. 

What  shall  be  said  of  the  monstrous  fallacy  of  making  this  a 


I 


» 


James  Louis  Petigru  405 

precedent  for  establishing  a  Court  of  Star  Chamber  as  incident 
to  captures  on  land? 

But  I  deny  that  this  is  a  judicial  proceeding  at  all.  A  Writ 
of  Garnishment  is  a  term  unknown  to  our  law,  and  the  thing 
before  us  is  not  a  Writ. 

What  is  a  Writ?  It  is  the  first  step  in  a  suit.  And  what  is  a 
suit?  It  is  a  proceeding  between  plaintiff  and  defendant. 
(3  Bl.,  272.)  If  a  Writ  is  litigated  between  parties  in  a  Court  of 
Justice  the  proceeding  by  which  the  decision  is  sought  is  a  suit, 
pr.  Marshall.     Weston  vs.  The  City  Council,  2  Peters,  464. 

Here  there  is  no  plaintiff  and  no  defendant;  it  is  no  more  a 
judicial  proceeding  than  it  the  Governor  or  General  should  call 
up  every  man  in  the  community  and  purge  his  conscience  as  to 
alien  enemies. 

A  man  is  bound  to  testify  when  required  as  a  witness,  but  he 
can  not  fill  the  character  of  a  witness  unless  there  is  a  suit.  And 
the  State  may  require  its  citizens  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance, 
which  certainly  the  Confederate  Government  can  not.  And 
there  are  oaths  of  office,  but  there  never  was  an  oath  like  this 
since  the  days  of  the  Star  Chamber. 

And  this  brings  the  case  within  the  Law  of  General  Warrants. 
(Wilkes'  case,  1  Lofft,  1;  Money  vs.  Leach,  3  Burr,  1762  H.  H. 
580.)  Shall  it  be  said  that  a  general  commission  to  compel 
every  man  to  give  information  is  not  a  general  warrant?  It  is 
not  only  like  a  general  warrant  but  it  is  the  same  thing  in  sub- 
stance, and  there  is  just  the  tlifference  between  this  Writ  of 
Garnishment,  as  it  is  called,  and  the  Writ  of  Foreign  Attach- 
ment that  there  is  between  a  general  warrant  and  a  warrant 
to  arrest  an  individual. 

After  this,  if  any  man  defends  this  proceeding  let  him  give 
up  all  claim  to  State  Rights,  all  pretensions  to  be  a  Consti- 
tional  lawyer,  or  a  friend  of  Public  Rights. 

So  tar  I  have  confined  myself  to  the  consideration  of  the  in- 
quisitorial power  assumed  by  the  Sequestration  Act,  and  en- 
deavored to  show,  I  hope  not  unsuccessfully,  that  if  the  Con- 
federate Government  confines  itself  bona  fide  to  the  agency 
committed  to  it  by  the  instrument  under  which  it  acts,  and 
under  which  alone  it  can  pretend  to  any  jurisdiction  of  the  mat- 
ter, according  to  the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  that  instrument 
it  can  have  no  right  to  order  a  private  citizen  to  come  forward 
and  act  as  an  informer,  even  if  the  information  sought  was 
conducive  to  an  object  within  its  legitimate  sphere  of  action. 

But  I  will  proceed  now  in  furtherance  ot  the  arguments  of  my 
friends  yesterday  addressed  to  the  Court,  to  show  that  the 
object  in  view  is  not  a  legitimate  object — that  is,  that  the  object 
in  view  is  not  included  in  the  powers  delegated  to  the  Confeder- 
acy by  the  Sovereign  States.  The  object  of  the  inquiries  is  to 
enable  the  Confederacy  to  confiscate  enemies'  property  found  in 


406  -^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

the  State  at  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and  brought  here  under 
the  sanctions  of  peace.  I  deny  that  the  instrument  under 
which  the  Confederacy  derive  ail  their  power  authorized  them 
to  confiscate  such  property. 

The  holder  of  enemies'  property  has  the  right  of  possession; 
and  is  entitled  to  hold  till  a  better  title  is  shown.  This  is  no 
more  than  the  common  birth-right  of  a  free  man.  To  the  min- 
ister who  assumes  to  intermeddle  with  his  possession  on  behalf 
of  the  Confederate  Government,  he  has  a  right  to  demand  not 
merely  his  authority,  but  the  authority  of  his  master,  that 
master  being  as  we  have  again  and  again  repeated  only  an  agent. 
To  this  demand  the  answer  is  given  that  the  Government  has 
the  power  to  declare  war!  That  the  power  to  declare  war  does 
not  include  the  right  of  confiscation  is  not  only  plain  from  reason, 
but  so  fully  proved  by  the  authority  of  Brown's  case  as  to  be 
scarcely  insisted  on.  But  it  seems  to  be  supposed  that  the 
power  to  confiscate  may  be  found  in  the  other  part  of  the  same 
clause,  to  wit:  "Congress  shall  have  power  to  make  rules  con- 
cerning captures  on  land  and  water."  The  whole  is  taken  from 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  the  very  same  thing 
is  found  in  the  Articles  of  Confederation  of  the  year  1778,  Art. 
IX:  "The  United  States  in  Congress  assembled,  shall  have  the 
whole  and  exclusive  right  of  determining  on  peace  or  war," 
(the  exception  being  immaterial  to  the  present  question)  "of 
establishing  rules  for  deciding  in  all  cases  what  captures  on  land 
or  water  shall  be  legal  and  in  what  manner  prizes  by  land  or 
naval  forces  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  divided 
or  apportioned."  It  would  be  mere  quibbling  to  say  that  these 
two  passages  are  not  identical  in  sense;  and  indeed  the  Articles  of 
Federation  seem  to  be  rather  more  full  and  explicit  on  this  head 
of  the  grant  of  power  than  the  Constitution.  But  neither  one 
nor  the  other  comes  up  to  the  point  of  confiscation. 

A  distinction  here  must  be  made  between  tangible  property, 
such  as  lands,  goods  or  movables,  and  things  in  action  merely  as 
debts.  Enemies'  goods  found  in  the  country  at  the  breaking 
out  of  war,  when  the  possession  is  assumed  by  an  enemy,  may 
without  any  great  stretch  of  language  be  said  to  be  captured,  and 
it  might  be  argued  with  plausibility  that  the  clause  relating  to 
captures  includes  such  cases.  Yet  captures  more  properly  apply 
to  what  is  taken  by  an  armed  hand  in  the  exercise  of  open  war 
— not  merely  acquisition  by  conquest;  and  the  words  of  the 
clause  will  be  fully  satisfied  if  confined  to  this  meaning.  And 
such  was  the  contemporary  construction.  The  Confederation 
took  cognizance  of  what  was  gained  by  conquest  by  men  in  arms, 
but  they  interfered  not  with  the  rich  estates  of  the  Phillipses, 
the  Robinsons,  or  other  loyalists,  over  which  the  right  of  con- 
fiscation was  exercised  by  the  States.  This  construction  was 
the  presumption  of  the  law  in  its  favor.     Expositio  contempor- 


James  Louis  Petigru  407 

anea  est  fortissima  in  lege.  One  might  justly  be  suspected  of 
intending  a  bitter  mockery,  if  he  affected  to  set  the  authority  of 
people  now  in  power  over  that  of  the  historical  men  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  Confederacy  did  not  exercise  this  power  and  the  States 
did.  And  how  did  they  exercise  it?  Not  with  blind  and  head- 
long rage,  that  pays  no  regard  to  dignity,  to  age  or  innocence, 
and  blends  in  indiscriminate  ruin  men  and  women  and  children; 
but  with  a  calm  and  temperate  discrimination.  I  speak  at  least 
of  South  Carolina.  Her  people,  even  in  the  height  of  civil  rage, 
could  not  forget  what  was  due  to  their  own  hon(jr;  and  I  rejoice 
to  think  that  on  the  Jacksonborough  Roll  the  name  of  no  inno- 
cent man,  no  woman,  no  child,  is  found.  Why  need  we  fear, 
then,  to  leave  this  "two-handed  engine"  in  the  keeping  of  the 
State .''  Why  this  haste  to  commit  this  dreaded  power  to  strange 
and  untried  hands? 

But  whatever  may  be  said  on  the  right  of  the  Confederate 
States  to  confiscate  tangible  property  of  alien  enemies  found  in 
the  State  at  the  breaking  out  of  war,  goes  very  little  way  toward 
establishing  the  authority  of  confiscating  debts. 

Of  tangible  property  the  possession  may  be  divested  out  of 
the  owner  by  the  conqueror.  It  is  within  his  grasp,  and  his 
right  grows  out  of  his  power  over  it.  But  debts  have  no  locality. 
By  the  common  consent  of  mankind  debts  follow  the  person  of  the 
creditor.  Debita  sequuntur  personam  creditoris,  is  acknowledged 
as  a  maxim  everywhere.  Thus  a  person's  assignment,  whether 
made  in  the  country  where  the  debtor  resides,  or  on  the  other 
side  of  the  world,  carries  the  property  against  all  subsequent 
liens.  The  civil  power  has  jurisdiction  over  all  persons  and 
property  within  its  territorial  limits.  But  in  a  debt  the  property 
belongs  to  the  creditor  not  the  debtor.  On  the  part  of  the  debtor 
it  is  an  obligation,  a  moral  and  legal  tie,  binding  him  to  do  or  pay 
something  in  particular,  not  to  this  person  or  to  that,  but  to  the 
creditor  himself  or  to  his  agent.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  this 
relation  between  the  creditor  and  the  debtor  can  not  be  "cap- 
tured" in  any  reasonable  sense.  To  capture  a  moral  relation,  to 
levy  upon  an  idea,  is  simply  to  speak  absurdly.  The  framers  of 
the  Constitutions,  both  new  and  old,  and  the  grave  and  eminent 
men  that  framed  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  had  perfectly  the 
use  of  language.  Had  they  meant  to  invest  the  power  with  the 
right  contended  for,  it  would  have  been  easy  to  add  to  the  clause 
concerning  captures,  these  words,  "and  to  confiscate  the  debts 
of  alien  enemies." 

But  it  was  argued  yesterday  that  the  property  of  all  alien 
enemies  belongs  to  the  State,  and  the  State  takes  only  what  is  its 
own  when  it  compels  the  debtor  to  pay.  For  this  proposition 
the  authority  of  Lord  Hale  is  invoked.  A  venerable  name 
indeed,  on  many  accounts  entitled  to  respect;  but  his  errors  are 


408  ^if^->  Letters  and  Speeches 

no  better  than  those  of  another  man.  His  work  is  said  to  have 
been  printed  from  a  foul  draught,  incomplete  and  lacking  the 
last  hand  of  the  author.  But  however  that  may  be,  the  Bury 
Assizes  will  ever  remain  a  warning  against  pinning  one's  faith  to 
the  sleeve  of  Lord  Hale,  who  had  more  authority  for  burning  the 
poor  women  for  witches,  than  for  asserting  that  enemies'  goods 
belong  to  the  King. 

It  is  argued  that  an  alien  enemy  has  no  rights,  and  no  injury 
is  done  to  the  debtor  because  he  is  discharged  from  all  duty  to 
his  creditor.  Can  one  believe  this,  and  believe  in  God.''  Are 
moral  relations  nothing?  Is  gratitude  a  delusion?  Can  war 
do  away  with  a  moral  relation?  There  is  a  moral  tie  even  when 
there  is  legal  sanction,  and  gratitude  can  not  be  suppressed  by 
any  third  party,  either  in  peace  or  war.  In  debt  there  is  a  moral 
as  well  as  a  legal  obligation,  and  he  that  has  received  a  deposit  or 
contracted  a  debt  for  money  entrusted  to  him  owes  a  recompense 
to  his  creditor,  because  he  is  a  human  being,  and  this  a  part  of  the 
law  of  his  nature,  which  he  can  no  more  put  off  than  he  can 
change  his  natural  constitution.  How  idle  then  to  talk  of  the 
innocency  of  confiscation  as  a  thing  harmless  to  the  unhappy 
man  that  is  served  with  a  Writ  of  Garnishment,  as  if  he  had  no 
right  to  complain,  when  he  is  compelled  by  the  arm  of  power  to 
pay  and  still  continues  in  conscience  to  owe  the  debt;  not  only 
so,  but  as  my  friends  have  yesterday  abundantly  shown  is  still 
Hable  to  be  sued  in  the  Courts  of  every  country  except  those  of 
the  spoliator. 

But  do  I  contend  that  the  State  can  not  confiscate  debts? 
By  no  means.  Unhappily  for  mankind  it  is  too  true;  and  too 
often  has  it  been  done  to  doubt  the  existence  of  the  power.  But 
why  can  the  State  confiscate?  Because  the  State  is  sovereign. 
The  State  may  substitute  expediency  or  policy  for  justice,  "for 
who  shall  put  a  hook  in  the  nose  of  Leviathan."  The  people, 
in  laying  the  foundation  of  Government,  may  put  private  rights 
under  the  guardianship  of  the  Judiciary,  by  constitutional  pro- 
visions. The  people  have  hitherto  not  thought  it  necessary  to 
restrain  the  sovereignty  of  the  State  by  any  constitutional 
inhibition  against  confiscation;  and  therefore  the  State  may  even 
confiscate  debts.  But  has  the  State  of  South  Carolina  parted 
with  this  attribute  of  sovereignty?  If  so,  produce  the  passage, 
and  remember  that  the  language,  to  effect  a  consequence  so 
tremendous,  must  be  clear  and  explicit.  The  war  power  can 
make  out  anything  by  presumption  and  analogy.  Fortunately 
for  us,  in  this  instance — fortunately  for  humanity — analogy 
and  presumption  are,  by  the  very  terms  of  the  instrument  which 
the  power  produces,  excluded.  The  Confederate  Congress  can 
only  claim  to  make  laws  to  carry  into  effect  powers  expressly 
granted.  That  the  power  in  this  case  is  not  expressly  granted  is 
a  palpable  fact.     Shall  construction  and  implication  be  resorted 


James  Louis  Petigru  409 

to  in  defiance  of  the  charter?  Forbid  it,  Heaven!  for  if  it  is, 
mankind  have  been  deluded  by  a  vain  hope,  and  paper  Consti- 
tutions are  no  more  than  a  cheat  practiced  on  the  credulity  of 
poor  suffering  human  nature. 

Nothing  but  the  sense  of  extreme  importance  of  the  principles 
at  stake  could  have  compelled  me,  now  that  the  visions  of  hope 
have  fled,  and  the  fire  of  youth  is  extinct,  to  venture  into  this 
arena.  I  would  that  it  had  fallen  into  hands  more  able  to  dis- 
charge this  duty;  but  such  as  it  is,  I  lay  this  offering  of  age  on  the 
altar  of  justice,  and  am  done.* 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  October  16,  1861. 
You  are  discomposed  by  the  news  that  I  am  entangled  with 
the  Confederate  Government.  It  is  even  so.  That  Govern- 
ment, like  a  desperate  gamester,  is  going  beyond  anything  in  the 
annals  of  tyranny.  Confiscated  at  one  swoop  the  whole  prop- 
erty in  the  country  belonging  to  the  Northern  people.  Not  only 
have  they  exceeded  all  former  confiscations  by  the  generality  of 
the  Acts,  but  they  have  turned  every  man  into  an  informer,  the 
basest  character  in  all  times  known  to  the  world.  They  served 
me  with  a  writ  calling  upon  me  to  inform  against  all  my  Northern 
clients.  I  resisted  it  as  an  unconstitutional  act.  I  stood  alone  at 
first,  but  I  believe  the  majority  of  the  Bar  are  now  with  me.  I  was 
not  quite  accurate  in  saying  I  stood  alone,  for  William  Whaley 
backed  me  on  the  spot.  The  argument  was  put  off  till  Monday, 
(the  14th  inst.).  In  the  meantime  Nelson  Mitchell  joined  me. 
On  Monday  he  and  Whaley  and  Richardson  Miles,  (the  latter 
for  the  Government,)  were  heard,  and  Tuesday  Col.  Hayne,  on 
the  same  side,  with  Miles  and  me.  We  did  not  lose  anything  by 
the  discussion,  and  tho'  I  have  no  hope  of  touching  Magrath's 
conscience,  it  is  probable  the  discussion  will  lead  to  important 

changes  in  the  Act,  by  opening  the  eyes  of  men  to  its  enormity. 

*     *     * 

Before  quitting  the  subject  of  the  case  in  court  I  ought  to  have 
mentioned  that  I  sent  my  speech  to  the  Courier.  It  may  possi- 
bly come  out  tomorrow,  but  probably  not  till  Saturday.  As  the 
Mercury  is  not  likely  to  publish  it,  I  will  try  to  send  you  one. 
The  Judge  took  time  for  his  decision,  but,  as  I  said  before,  I  have 
no  hopes  for  him.  I  dined  with  Henry  Lesesne  every  day  dur- 
ing the  discussion.  He  thinks  I  am  right,  so  does  AUred  Huger, 
and  the  most  of  my  friends  are  on  my  side.  Mr.  Gould,  from 
Augusta,  came  to  Charleston  on  purpose  to  hear  the  debate,  the 
Georgians  being  very  anxious  on  the  subject. 


*From   the  Sequestration  Act  of  the  Confederate  States. — Pamphlet  in   the 
Charleston,  S.  C,  Library. 


410  ^f/<?}  Letters  and  Speeches 

Mrs.  John  Butler*  has  come  to  save  Butler's  Island  from  con- 
fiscation. Gen.  Scott  gave  her  a  passport  and  she  found  no 
difficulty.  I  saw  Col.  Moses  Tuesday  and  had  the  favor  of  a 
few  words  with  him.  He  is  just  from  Western  Virginia.  He 
does  not  think  we  shall  ever  conquer  t.  The  people  are  hostile 
to  us,  and  Rosecrans  is  more  than  a  match  for  the  generals  we 
have  there. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  October  30,  1861. 

*  *  *  If  I  had  a  copy  of  my  speech  on  the  9th  I  would  send 
it  to  you,  but  that  I  have  not.  It  is  so  incorrectly  printed  that 
some  passages  are  unintelligible,  which  makes  me  very  much 
regret  the  want  of  a  copy,  especially  as  the  reporter  (a  Mr. 
Woodruff)  is  going  to  try  a  speculation  of  printing  the  whole  of 
them,  seven  in  number,  for  sale.  If  his  means  holds  out  I  will 
send  you  a  copy,  which  will  be  correct,  at  least  comparatively. 
I  have  been  gratified  by  the  plaudits  that  have  been  bestowed 
on  the  thing,  for  I  was  mightily  afraid  that  folks  would  say  that 
it  is  time  for  the  old  man  to  retire.  It  is  possible  that  the  old 
lady,  whose  murder  shocked  our  minds  so  much  a  few  days  ago, 
was  the  mother  of  your  friend,  Mrs.  Williams.  I  had  no  idea 
that  it  was  anybody  of  her  condition.  What  a  miserable  insight 
it  gives  under  the  constitution  of  our  society. 

I  suppose  you  have  seen  that  the  Judge  overruled  us  on  the 
great  question,  but  gave  judgment  in  the  favor  of  Wilkinson, 
who  confined  himself  to  a  corner  of  the  case.  Mr.  McCrady 
came  out  like  a  man  and  made  a  conservative  speech.     *     *     * 

*She  was  Miss  Morris,  of  South  Carolina,  and  resided  in  Philadelphia. 


James  Louis  Petigru  411 


CHAPTER  XLVIII 
October-November,  1861 

Work  on  the  Code;  Advice  to  His  Grandson,  James; 
Federal  Descent  on  the  Sea  Coast;  General  Panic, 
AND  Abandonment  of  the  Sea  Islands 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

October  30,  1861. 
My  work  has  gone  tolerably  well.  I  have  got  over  the  worst 
part  and  have  a  decent  portion  of  MS.  in  the  printer's  hands. 
My  assistants  have  left  me.  Young  and  Middleton.*  I  regretted 
the  last,  who  was  willing  and  apt.  I  have  in  his  place  Henry 
Seabrook,  a  very  proper  young  man.  The  war  drags  on  very 
heavily.  It  may  last  many  years.  The  great  fleet  has  gone, 
I've  no  doubt,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi;  whether  they 
will  all  go  to  New  Orleans  is  another  matter.  I  never  thought 
they  were  coming  here.  There  would  be  no  sense  in  it.  No 
object  in  taking  Charleston,  if  they  could,  for  it  is  not  a  com- 
manding point;  it  would  open  no  pathway  into  the  interior.  In 
the  meantime,  if  the  war  lasts,  it  is  likely  to  inflict  on  both  North 
and  South  a  heavy  misfortune  in  the  loss  of  their  liberties.  The 
administration  of  Lincoln  is  arbitrary,  and  the  Richmond  Con- 
gress is  a  revolutionary  body,  which  is  shown  in  the  Sequestra- 
tion Act  that  we  are  on  the  way  to  irresponsible  power.  But 
this  is  enough.  My  health  is  certainly  improved.  I  wish  I 
could  say  as  much  for  my  wife. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Summerville,  November  7,  1861. 

I  found  the  printers  in  perplexity  with  the  Code,  and  have 
been  working  hard  to  get  them  along.  My  last  help,  Henry 
Seabrook,  left  me  yesterday,  so  I  am  alone  in  Johnston's  house. 

You  know  I  can  not  work  on  the  Code  at  the  office.  My  first 
business  was  to  visit  the  sisters,  and  there  I  found  Sister  Anne  all 
alone,  looking  like  solitude,  for  the  girls  had  retired.  *  *  * 
Louise  and  the  daughters  three  were  round  the  work-table 
knitting  socks  for  the  soldiers.  *  *  *  |  had  observed  that 
Johnston's  house  was  open,  and  though  I   had  no  idea  o\  it, 

*Henry  E.  Young  and  John  Izard  Middleton,  jr. 


412  J^iJ^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

except  the  thought  that  it  was  empty  it  would  have  suited  me 
exactly,  I  inquired  who  was  in  it.  In  answer  to  this  inquiry 
Henry  King  told  me  that  Nat  and  his  wife  were  the  occupants 
and  that  Johnston  left  positive  orders  that  it  should  not  be  let. 
This  suited  me  exactly,  and  I  moved  my  writing  materials  and 
books  to  No.  59  Tradd  Street,  whence  I  am  now  writing.  The 
great  fleet,  or  at  least  part  of  it,  is  at  Port  Royal.  They  have 
been  shooting  at  blank  distances  and  I  predict  the  expedition 
will  end  in  disgrace.  It  appears  to  me  an  idle  project  to  make  a 
descent  on  this  coast  where  there  is  nothing  to  be  gained,  and 
where  defeat  would  be  so  disgraceful,  instead  of  striking  a  blow 
at  New  Orleans  where  success  would  have  an  important  bearing 
on  the  issue.  The  women  are  fleeing  from  the  islands  to  the 
city,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  consternation  here;  great  incon- 
venience, however,  in  draining  the  shops  of  their  clerks,  much  to 
the  hinderance  of  the  Code. 

TO  JAMES  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  November  7,  1861. 
My  dear  James: 

*  *  *  Upon  reflection  I  think  it  better  that  you  stay  at 
Badwell,  at  least  till  New  Year.  In  the  meantime  I  will  find  out 
what  Mr.  Porcher  is  going  to  do  and  make  a  definite  arrangement 
for  next  year. 

I  do  not  think  you  will  stand  a  fair  chance  with  other  men  in 
the  race  of  life  if  you  do  not  qualify  yourself  to  write  a  fair  hand. 
It  was  my  intention  to  put  you  under  the  tuition  of  a  writing 
master  as  soon  as  you  came  here.  But  everything  is  so  distrac- 
ted that  I  doubt  whether  a  writing  master  could  be  found  in 
Charleston  at  this  time.  And  it  is  for  this  reason  chiefly  that  I 
am  induced  to  withdraw  my  consent  to  your  coming  here  at 
once.  At  Badwell  you  may  spend  a  month  very  profitably  in 
studying  to  improve  your  penmanship  and  in  reading.  I  regret 
that  there  is  not  there  a  complete  set  of  Plutarch's  Lives.  But 
there  are  some  old  volumes  which  at  your  age  I  read  from  day  to 
day.  Nor  have  I  ever  regretted  the  hours  which  I  bestowed  on 
him.  Lord  Mahon's  history  is  very  excellent  reading,  too,  and 
I  know  your  aunt  has  that.  I  think  that  your  cousin  Lou's 
company  can  not  fail  to  be  a  source  of  pleasure  and  improvement. 
Nothing  qualifies  a  man  so  much  for  good  company,  which  is  a 
blessing  for  those  who  have  a  taste  for  it,  as  the  society  of  an 
amiable  and  accomplished  person  of  the  other  sex  who  is  older 
than  himself,  without  being  too  old  to  take  some  interest  in  him. 
Knowledge,  it  is  true,  is  entitled  to  the  first  rank  in  the  objects 
of  education,  but  manners  and  the  ability  of  conversing  agree- 
ably greatly  conduce  to  set  off  one's  knowledge  to  advantage  and 
to  insure  success  in  life.     And  you  are  aware,  James,  that  you 


James  Louis  Petigru  413 

have  no  fortune,  and  that  if  you  attain  an  ehgible  rank  you  will 
owe  it  to  yourself.  Nor  do  I  see  any  reason  to  despair  of  your 
doing  well  if  you  will  only  be  true  to  yourself. 

I  have  heard  nothing  from  Charlie  Allston,  and  if  he  is  with 
you  give  him  my  paternal  blessing  and  be  assured,  dear  James, 
that  whatever  concerns  you  is  nearest  to  the  heart  of 

Your  Grandfather. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  November  14,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

Yours  of  the  9th  I  received  on  the  11th  and  that  of  the  11th 
today.  Since  the  enemy's  fleet  appeared  in  Port  Royal  con- 
sternation has  reigned  in  town  and  country.  The  excitement 
has  been  awful  and  it  does  not  abate,  except  imperceptibly. 
All  the  males  are  gone  out  of  the  city  and  the  women,  young  and 
old,  are  in  terror  and  alarm.  Old  women  are  visited  with  the 
most  cruel  fears  and  the  young,  indeed,  could  not  be  more  terri- 
fied. On  the  islands  a  discovery  is  made  which  the  inhabitants 
were  slow  in  coming  to,  that  in  a  war  with  an  enemy  that  is  mas- 
ter of  the  sea  they  are  masters  of  nothing.  Many  of  the  negroes 
have  refused  to  move  and  they  are  not  under  compulsion,  because 
the  masters  are  moving.  It  is  said  that  Beaufort  is  unpeopled, 
as  far  as  white  folks  are  concerned.  Gen.  Lee  would  not  order 
it  burnt  and  it  seems  that  the  owners,  when  it  came  to  the  point, 
think  it  is  the  duty  of  the  Government  to  burn  cities,  not  that  of 
individuals.  I  advise  all  of  them  that  are  blustering  about  their 
intentions  to  burn  their  houses  to  keep  the  Yankees  out  to  resort 
to  a  more  significant  way  of  spiting  the  enemy  by  hanging  them- 
selves. Fortunately  sister  is  not  scared,  she  is  one  of  the  unterri- 
fied  and  we  do  not  propose  to  move.  In  the  first  place  I  do  not 
think  the  enemy  can  take  the  city  and,  in  the  second  place,  if  the 
city  is  taken  it  is  not  going  to  be  dealt  with  otherwise  than 
according  to  the  usages  of  civilized  warfare,  and  that  which  the 
old  women  have  such  a  horror  of  is  a  very  distant  possibility. 
Madame  Tognio  goes  this  afternoon.  I  have  advised  everybody 
that  asked  me  to  stay,  but  nobody  has  taken  my  advice.  Sue 
is  one  ot  those  who  are  frightened  out  of  her  wits.  She  goes 
with  the  Kings  to  Greenville.  I  wish  you  could  invite  her  and 
Addie  to  stay  with  you,  but  I  don't  think  you  can.  Sister  Ann 
is  coming,  with  her  horses  and  four  servants.  *  *  *  ^\\q 
people  next  door  are  in  great  distraction,  going  to  Mary  Robert- 
son, in  St.  John's.  Mrs.  Holbrook  and  Miss  Pinckney  are  the 
only  persons  that  I  have  heard  of  besides  who  are  going  to  stay 
without  being  compelled. 

The  panic  will  be  over  in  a  fortnight.  The  enemy  will  quietly 
hold  the  sea  islands,  and  if  they  make  an  attempt  on  Charleston 


414  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

will  have  to  wait  a  long  time  for  reinforcements,  quite  long 
enough  to  allow  a  large  concentration  of  the  forces  here.  I  think 
Mr.  Porcher  inexcusable  for  breaking  up  his  school,  and  the 
authorities  are  still  more  so  for  enlisting  youths  of  16.  *  *  * 
I  have  been  very  busy  all  day,  having  nobody  to  help  me 
either  with  the  code  or  at  the  office.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane   petigru  north 

Charleston,  November  20,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

New  things  are  all  around  us.  A  week  ago  I  wrote  to  you  of 
the  enemy's  fleet  being  ofi^  Port  Royal,  which  was  a  thing  not 
expected  by  me,  as  I  thought  that  New  Orleans  was  more  likely 
to  be  their  object,  as  being  a  point  of  more  importance.  How- 
ever, though  Beaufort  is  obscure  in  the  Gazetteer  of  Cities,  it 
is  vastly  important  to  the  hundreds,  aye,  even  thousands,  that 
live  within  its  influence.  The  inhabitants,  it  is  said,  have  fled 
and  the  enemy  have  not  occupied  it.  The  planters  all  along 
the  seacoast  have  moved  their  negroes  and  abandoned  their 
houses.  I  have  heard  of  only  one  man  burning  his  house.  That 
was  Dr.  Fuller,  who  set  fire  to  everything,  including  corn  and 
cotton,  and  by  doing  so  compelled  his  negroes  to  follow  him, 
as  they  were  on  an  island  without  food  or  shelter.  It  is  not 
easy  to  hear  the  truth.  A  man  can  tell  what  he  has  done,  but 
no  one  has  had  time  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  what 
others  are  doing.  No  doubt  many  negroes  have  abandoned 
their  masters,  but  the  greater  part  are  safely  removed.  But 
it  is  a  ruinous  business.  Some  have  burnt  their  cotton,  but  the 
threats  of  burning  the  towns  and  setting  fire  to  the  houses  have 
not  been  realized.  It  is  from  this  quarter  that  the  most  serious 
danger  is  apprehended.  There  are  plenty  of  zealots  who  pro- 
fess to  be  ready  to  make  Charleston  another  Moscow.  We  have 
to  trust  first  to  the  valor  of  our  men  and  their  ability  to  defeat 
the  enemy  if  they  advance  upon  Charleston,  and  second,  to  the 
sobering  influence  of  reflection  to  prevent  so  suicidal  a  measure 
as  the  destruction  of  the  town.  For  these  reasons  I  look  upon 
Charleston  to  be  as  safe  as  other  places,  and  fortunately  sister 
concurs  with  me,  and  does  not  think  of  moving.  *  *  *  It  is 
not  doubtful  that  the  enemy  met  with  dreadful  losses  in  the  gale 
of  the  1st.  Perhaps  we  owe  much  of  our  present  safety  to  it. 
The  capture  of  Mr.  Mason  and  Mr.  Slidell  makes  a  grear  stir, 
but  it  is  regular  according  to  English  law.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

The  following  is  appropriate  at  this  point.  It  is  from  the 
"Editor's  Drawer,"  Harper  s  Magazine^  July,  1877: 


James  Louis  Petigru  415 

I  was  in  Washington  City  at  the  time  Mason  and  Slidell  were 
captured,  and  we  thought  our  troops  were  about  to  gain  pos- 
session of  Charleston.  I  called  upon  President  Lincoln  with 
the  late  venerable  Comptroller  Whittlesey,  and  in  the  course 
of  conversation  I  said,  "Mr.  President,  we  of  the  North  feel 
like  punishing  the  Charlestonians,  for  they  are  arch-offenders." 
"I  feel  a  little  so  myself,"  he  said,  "but  what  shall  we  do  with 
Mr.  Petigru?"  The  latter  was  a  stanch  Union  man,  and  re- 
mained so  while  the  madmen  raged  around  him.  The  question 
suggested  "a  little  story"  to  Mr.  Lincoln.  His  eyes  sparkled 
with  humor  and  he  said,  "A  little  chap  in  Illinois  was  very  fond 
ot  relating  Scripture  narratives.  At  one  time  he  was  telling 
the  story  of  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  and  the 
promise  of  the  Lord  to  save  the  cities  if  a  certain  number  of 
righteous  men  could  be  found  in  them.  'How  many  righteous 
men  did  the  Lord  accept.^'  asked  a  listener.  'I  don't  know  ex- 
actly,' said  the  narrator.  '  I  know  Abraham  beat  down  the  Lord 
a  good  deal.'  "  So,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "  they  may  beat  us  down 
to  Mr.  Petigru  and  save  Charleston." 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Broad  Street,  November  20,  1861.     Night. 

In  writing  today  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  I  am  quite  well. 
*  *  *  I  have  lost  all  my  aids.  Henry  Seabrook,  the  last, 
has  had  his  hands  full  removing  his  negroes,  for  they  were  on 
Edisto  Island,  where  his  plantation  is.  All  three  of  my  students 
are  gone  to  the  wars.  N^o,  I  believe  Edgerton  has  only  been 
sick.  Henry  King  is  encamped  at  the  Race  Course.  The 
consequence  is  that  St.  Michael's  Alley  is  shut  up,  except  on  those 
days  when  I  leave  Tradd  Street  on  account  of  some  special  call. 
I  hope  you  received  the  pamphlet  with  the  speeches  on  the 
Sequestration  Act.     *     *     * 

I  will  never  be  able  to  divest  myself  of  the  idea  that  those 
persons  who  have  been  egging  on  the  war  have  as  little  religion 
as  their  neighbors.  It  is  certainly  lamentable  to  witness  the 
symptoms  of  the  cruel  and  malignant  feelings  which  this  war 
has  engendered,  and  worst  of  all  these  turbulent  sentiments  are 
conspicuously  developed  in  the  female  mind.  Another  strange 
thing  is  that  the  islanders  seem  but  just  now  to  have  found  out 
that  war  is  hostile  to  their  interests.     *      *      *      Adieu. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Charleston,  23  November,  1861. 
So  at  last  Dear  Carey,  I  have  heard  from  you.     Last  Sunday 
Mr.  Hachet's  letter  and  yesterday  another  by  way  of  Norfolk. 


416  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

How  glad  I  am  that  the  dangers  of  the  sea  are  over;  and  yet 
there  is  a  suppressed  regret  that  you  could  not  stay  abroad  while 
the  elements  at  home  are  in  such  strife.  Things  are  really 
changed  when  a  letter  to  New  York  is  an  extraordinary  event. 
Mrs.  Oelrich  kept  Ma  company  all  the  time,  and  I  found  her 
there  and  went  to  work  hard  on  the  code  with  Jack  Middleton 
to  help,  and  mighty  little  assistance  from  Henry  Young  and 
Trescot.  Henry  Young  got  a  place  in  Gen.  Drayton's  staff,  and 
Jack  for  want  of  patronage  was  fain  to  take  the  situation  of  a 
volunteer  in  the  same  service.     *     *     * 

Mad.  Togno  bolted  this  day  was  a  week,  and  all  the  Kings 
the  next  day,  and  Sue  and  Adele  with  them,  and  Aunt  Anne 
with  Anna,  Louise,  and  Marion  Porcher  last  Thursday.  *  *  * 
There  is  no  great  interest  in  such  demenagements,  but  on  Edisto 
and  the  Islands  it  is  a  real  tragedy.  They  are  completely 
depopulated.  The  finest  plantations  in  the  State  left  waste;  the 
negroes  carried  off,  and  in  some  instances  to  compel  them  to  go 
their  houses  and  all  their  provisions  burnt.  I  saw  William 
Whaley  and  my  young  friend  Henry  Seabrook,  and  never  was 
distress  more  vividly  depicted  than  in  their  countenances.  It 
is  not  only  the  distress  of  parting  from  their  homes  endeared  by 
early  associations,  but  positive  impoverishment.  They  save 
nothing  but  their  negroes,  and  not  all  of  them,  for  some  prefer 
the  other  side,  and  they  have  to  find  new  homes,  and  provide 
for  their  people  for  a  whole  year,  while  the  abandonment  of  their 
crops  just  harvested  leaves  them  penniless.  Gen.  Sherman  has 
issued  a  proclamation,  but  it  does  not  hold  out  encouragement 
to  anv  but  those  who  are  well  affected.  Unfortunately  the  well 
affected  are  so  few  that  they  are  effectually  suppressed  by  the 
prevalent  feeling.  Jeff  Davis  has  as  complete  control  of  the 
Southern  mind  as  ever  old  Jefferson  had  and  no  matter  what  the 
moving  cause  may  be,  whether  wounded  vanity  or  groundless 
fears,  our  people,  men  and  women  and  the  women  full  as  much 
as  the  men,  are  inflamed  to  the  highest  degree,  and  are  under 
the  hands  of  the  rulers  as  malleable  as  melted  ore.  Nothing  is 
more  common  than  to  hear  people  gravely  talk  of  setting  fire  to 
the  city  if  they  can  not  defend  it.  I  combat  the  idea  openly  with 
impunity,  which  is  a  sign  of  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  zealots, 
and  I  do  not  think  the  threat  would  be  executed  unless  the  mili- 
tary authorities  should  order  it.  They  boasted  that  they  would 
burn  Beaufort,  but  Gen.  Lee  would  not  order  it,  and  the  inhabi- 
tants deserted  their  houses  without  burning  them.  Therefore 
I  deem  it  unnecessary  for  the  good  people  to  fly;  because  in  the 
first  place  I  do  not  think  that  the  North  can  throw  into  this  State 
sufficient  force  to  cut  their  way  to  Charleston;  and  in  the  next 
place  I  do  not  think  that  when  it  comes  to  the  pinch  our  people 
would  be  mad  enough  to  set  fire  to  their  houses.     *     *     * 


James  Louis  Petigru  417 

Charley  Porcher  is  in  Virginia,  and  I  am  afraid  if  Jem  was  here 
he  would  be  carried  away  by  the  popular  current.  Gov.  Allston 
is  at  Chicora;  Minnie  at  Waverly.  If  the  invasion  reaches 
Waccamaw  their  situation  will  be  deplorable.  Mary  Pettigrew 
(Blount)  is  nursing  the  sick  and  wounded  at  Petersburg. 
Charles  and  little  Carey  are  at  Scuppernong,  where  they  have 
been  all  summer.  Johnston  is  at  the  head  of  a  North  Carolina 
Regiment  on  the  Potomac,  greatly  extolled  as  an  officer. 

Perhaps  it  is  necessary  that  the  new  order  ot  things  be  con- 
solidated by  the  cement  of  blood — and  there  may  be  a  secondary 
policy  in  prosecuting  this  war,  that  will  justify  the  waste  of  life 
and  treasure.  But  the  avowed  and  ostensible  object — the 
reconstruction  of  the  Union — is  futile.  Mr.  Sass  at  the  Charles- 
ton Bank  has  intimated  to  me  that  he  has  a  chance  for  despatch- 
ing this  letter  even  under  seal.  *  *  *  and  receive  the  bles- 
sing of 

Your  Father. 


4 1 8  ^(/^>  Letters  aytd  Speeches 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

December,  1861 

Silver  Deposited  for  Safe  Keeping  in  Commercial  Bank 
OF  Columbia;  Its  Ultimate  Loss;  Great  Fire  in  Charles- 
ton; Burning  of  his  House;  Courage  and  Cheerfulness 
IN  Adversity;  Bank  of  Charleston  Votes  a  Year's 
Salary  in  Advance;  Re-elected  by  Legislature  Com- 
missioner FOR  Digesting  and  Re-molding  the  Laws, 
WITH  the  Same  Salary 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  13  December,  1861. 
My  dear  Caroline: 

The  morning  is  clear,  a  gentle  breeze  fanning  the  air  and  the 
bright  sun  looks  down  on  Charleston  in  ashes.  I  was  away. 
I  left  the  home  that  I  was  never  to  see  again,  on  Monday  even- 
ing, and  distributed  my  second  number  of  the  code  on  Thursday. 
I  was  at  table  with  Gov.  Manning  when  Moses  of  Sumter  came 
at  4  o'clock  and  told  me  my  house  was  burnt.  Fortunately  it 
was  in  time  for  me  to  take  the  afternoon  car,  and  I  arrived  at 
y2  after  two  this  morning.  I  found  your  mother  in  Mad. 
Togno's  house.  I  will  try  to  get  Gen.  Huger  to  pass  the  morn- 
ing papers,  and  if  he  concedes  such  indulgence  you  will  read  the 
full  account  of  the  fire  with  a  deep  but  very  melancholy  interest. 
I  may  say  in  general  that  the  whole  space  in  S.  W.  direction  from 
the  foot  of  Hasell  street  on  the  Cooper  River  side  to  the  Ashley 
River  at  a  point  between  Tradd  and  Gibbes  street  is  one  smok- 
ing ruin. 

Our  individual  loss  is  less  than  I  expected.  After  they  got 
your  mother  out  of  the  house  the  servants  and  friends  made  the 
most  strenuous  exertions.  Unhappily  trusting  to  the  interposi- 
tion of  St.  Finbarr's,  between  us  and  the  raging  torrent,  caused 
this  movement  to  be  delayed  too  long.  We  have  not  a  bed  left, 
nor  have  they  saved  anything  out  of  your  room,  or  anything  else 
of  yours  but  two  clocks,  and  two  boxes  out  of  the  wine  room. 
The  wine  in  bottles  is  gone, — burnt  in  the  yard  with  the  bedding 
where  they  had  taken  them  when  the  horn  warned  them  to  go 
out  as  they  were  going  to  apply  the  match  to  blow  the  house. 
But  my  books  are  saved  and  almost  everything  else  except 
what  I  have  mentioned.     It  is  far  easier   to  bear  what  comes 


James  Louis  Petigru  419 

from  the  hand  of  God  than  that  which  proceeds  from  the  folly 
or  wickedness  of  man.  This  calamity  is  not  connected  with  any 
fault  of  ours  or  our  friends,  and  though  I  shall  never  recover  it 
you  may  comfort  yourself,  dear  child,  with  the  assurance  that 
I  will  bear  it  with  resignation. 

James  is  at  Badwell,  where  I  told  him  to  stay  till  January.  I 
can't  omit  to  mention  that  we  learn  Cuthbert  saw  the  reflexion 
of  the  fire  early  in  the  night,  jumped  on  the  car  and  came  to 
Charleston,  50  odd  miles,  and  was  on  the  roof  of  the  house  before 
it  took  fire,  rendering  good  service.  Your  mother  this  morn- 
ing is  more  tranquil  than  I  expected.  Poor  Parley  [a  servant] 
was  dissolved  in  tears  when  she  met  me  at  the  door. 

Adieu  my  dear,  my  love  to  your  kind  friends,  and  warm  greet- 
ing to  them  that  friendship  is  more  proper  to  ofl^er,  from 

Your  Father. 

P.  S. — Your  silver  was  taken  by  me  to  Columbia,  and  safely 
deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  Commercial  Bank  on  Wednesday. 

The  silver  belonging  to  Mr.  Petigru  deposited  in  the  bank  of 
Columbia  was  estimated  to  be  worth  six  thousand  dollars,  and 
that  of  the  Carsons  a  like  amount.  By  giving  equal  weight  to 
the  various  statements  as  to  who  burned  Columbia,  it  can  be 
safely  said  that  it  burned  itself,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  certain 
"ruffians  or  camp  followers"  of  Sherman's  army  looted  the 
banks.  While  on  the  march  General  Sherman  noticed  a  soldier 
boiling  soup  in  a  silver  pitcher  upon  which  there  was  an  inscrip- 
tion. He  examined  the  pitcher  and  found  that  it  belonged  to 
Mr.  Petigru.  He  turned  it  over  to  one  of  his  staff,  and  a  few 
years  afterwards,  through  the  War  Department,  it  was  sent  to 
Mrs.  Carson  in  New  York.  Some  years  before  this  pitcher, 
inclosed  in  a  polished  oak  box  lined  with  blue  velvet,  had  been 
sent  to  Mr.  Petigru  by  his  friend  Mr.  Drayton  in  Philadelphia. 
It  was  always  treated  with  great  consideration  and  was  only 
brought  out  on  special  occasions.  When  received  in  New  York 
it  was  scratched  and  dented,  and  showed  that  it  had  been 
through  the  war.  When  sent  to  be  repaired,  strange  to  say,  it 
turned  out  to  be  only  a  plated  pitcher.  Some  years  afterwards 
William  Carson  was  persuaded  by  some  silversmith  friend  in 
Maiden  Lane  to  send  it  to  him  and  have  it  made  over  as  good  as 
new.  After  this  was  done  he  proposed  to  his  brother  to  pay  for 
the  work,  which  he  declined  to  do  because  the  pitcher  with  the 
scars  was  valuable  as  a  relic,  but  with  these  removed  it  became 


420  J^if^->  Letters  and  Speeches 

no  more  than  an  ordinary  plated  pitcher.     Consequently  it  was 
left  with  the  silversmith. 

In  this  connection  the  following  letters  are  interesting. 

GEN.  WILLIAM  T.   SHERMAN  TO  WILLIAM  CARSON 

5th  Ave.  Hotel,  New  York,  March  11,  1888. 
Wm.  Carson,  Esq., 

16  Exchange  Building. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  have  a  letter  from  your  mother,  written  from  Rome,  in  which 
she  asks  me  to  make  some  affidavit  which  may  facilitate  her 
collection  of  a  claim  against  the  U.  S.  for  silverware  belonging  to 
your  grandfather  Petigru's  family,  and  to  send  the  same  to  you. 

There  is  no  family  anywhere  for  which  I  would  like  to  manifest 
love  and  respect  more  than  that  of  Jas.  L.  Petigru  of  Charleston 
especially  your  mother,  Caroline,  but  it  would  be  positively 
wrong  for  General  Sherman  to  make  an  affidavit  to  be  used 
against  the  United  States.  I  have  no  personal  knowledge  upon 
which  to  base  an  affidavit;  only  a  faint  recollection  that  either 
seeing  or  hearing  of  some  article  of  silverware  bearing  the  mark 
"Petigru,"  I  ordered  it  to  be  sent  the  family  at  Charleston.  My 
army  never  went  to  Charleston,  but  passed  through  Columbia, 
where  it  may  be  some  unauthorized  and  unwarranted  pilfering 
may  have  occurred  during  the  conflagration  resulting  from  the 
setting  fire  to  the  bridges,  depots,  and  cotton  by  the  enemy 
before  we  crossed  the  Congaree. 

The  United  States  will  not  of  course  pay  for  the  unauthorized 
acts  of  Wheeler's  Cavalry,  of  the  negroes,  or  petty  marauders 
which  attend  every  army;  these  are  acts  of  war  chargeable  to 
those  who  caused  the  war — surely  not  Mr.  Petigru,  but  his 
neighbors  in  South  Carolina,  against  whom  your  mother  has 
just  cause  of  action. 

Please  explain  these  things  to  your  mother,  and  though  I 
must  not  attempt  an  affidavit,  I  will  cheerfully  give  in  a  petition 
to  Congress  to  pay  her,  the  daughter  of  Jas.  L.  Petigru  of 
Charleston,  S.  C,  for  the  noble  service  he  rendered  his  country, 
by  standing  almost  solitary  and  alone  in  combatting  the  fearful 
heresy  of  "Secession  "  which  deluged  our  land  in  blood,  and  cost 
the  honest  people  of  this  country  thousands  of  millions  of 
dollars.  I  am  truly  yours, 

W.  T.  Sherman. 

GEN.   WILLIAM  T.   SHERMAN  TO  MRS.  WILLIAM  CARSON 

5th  Ave.  Hotel,  New  York,  April  5,  1888. 
Dear  Mrs.  Carson: 

As  soon  as  I  received  your  welcome  letter  of  Feb.  28,  I  wrote 
to  your  son,  William,  at  1 6  Exchange  Place,  that  it  was  forbidden 


'James  Louis  Petigru  421 

to  Army  officers  to  make  voluntary  statements  on  which  to  base 
claims  against  the  U.  S.  Expecting  an  answer  I  awaited  it 
before  replying  to  yours.  I  have  the  faintest  recollection  of 
hearing  of,  or  seeing  some  plate  in  Columbia,  S.  C,  at  the  time 
of  our  passage  in  1865,  and  that  I  ordered  it  to  be  sent  to  the 
family  at  Charleston.  I  have  not  the  remotest  idea  of  its  value, 
or  of  hearing  that  you  had  lost  articles  to  the  value  of  $6,000. 
The  bank  in  Columbia  was  not  sacked,  but  may  have  been 
burned  in  the  general  conflagration  of  February  17,  the  cause  of 
which  has  been  disputed,  but  about  which  I  have  not  a  shadow  of 
doubt,  viz.  by  the  burning  of  cotton  in  the  streets  during  a  heavy 
wind  storm, — the  fire  being  set  to  the  cotton  long  before  one  of 
my  soldiers  had  entered  the  city.  Nevertheless  I  shall  always 
be  glad  if  any  good  luck  comes  to  you  from  that  or  any  other 
source.  I  would,  however,  much  prefer  that  your  father's 
loyalty  to  his  country  should  be  specifically  rewarded,  the  value 
of  whose  example  was  worth  more  to  the  Union  than  the  money 
value  of  both  Charleston  and  Columbia. 

I  hope  you  will  come  back  to  New  York  again,  where  your  old 
friends  may  see  you  occasionally.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you 
are  acquainted  with  the  Princess  Treggiano,  who  was  a  Miss 
Field,  of  New  York.  When  I  was  in  Rome  in  1872  she  was  a 
most  beautiful  and  accomplished  young  mother.  Her  relatives 
here  are  particular  friends  of  mine. 

I  am  at  the  5th  Ave.  Hotel  with  Mrs.  Sherman  and  two 
daughters — to  be  near  our  youngest  son  who  is  at  Yale  College, 
to  graduate  in  June,  and  who  will  then  enter  the  law  office  of  my 
relative  Mr.  Evarts.  Whether  we  return  to  our  home  at  St. 
Louis  will  largely  depend  on  the  interests  of  that  son. 

Wishing  you  and  yours  all  possible  happiness,  and  with  a 
grateful  remembrance  of  the  days  long  gone  in  Charleston  and  on 
Cooper  River,  I  am  sincerely  yours, 

W.  T.  Sherman. 

Returning  to  Mr.  Petigru's  life  in  the  early  days  of  the  war: 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Charleston,  December  13,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  received  yours  of  the  6th  and  intended  to  write  to  you  from 
Columbia,  from  which  I  hurried  last  evening  upon  learning  that 
my  house  was  burnt,  which  is  but  too  true.  It  would  be  unpar- 
donable weakness  to  complain  when  one  only  shares  the  common 
lot — nay,  when  better  men  are  condemned  to  the  same  late. 
And  how  shall  an  individual  venture  to  bewail  the  loss  of  his 
house  when  so  many  churches,  temples  and  public  buildings  are 
involved  in  the  same  ruin?     I  have  no  doubt  you  have  seen,  or 


422  Lifcy  Letters  and  Speeches 

will  soon  see,  the  papers  which  describe  the  scene  of  conflagra- 
tion more  minutely  than  I  can.  I  will  only  undertake  to  tell 
what  concerns  ourselves  particularly. 

I  was  in  Columbia,  and  went  on  Monday  evening  with  two 
copies  of  the  second  number  of  the  Code,  having  the  promise  of 
Evans  &  Cogswell  that  the  rest  of  the  impression  should  follow 
on  Thursday.  This  was  done  and  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
the  distribution  of  them.  The  same  day  at  table  with  Governor 
Manning  a  friend  came  in  and  told  me  my  house  was  burnt.  It 
was  a  relief  to  me  that  I  was  still  in  time  for  the  evening  car,  and 
I  started;  arrived  last  night,  not  knowing  where  sister  was,  but 
found  her  at  Madame  Tognio's  house,  and  didn't  find  things  as 
bad  as  1  expected.  My  books  are  saved,  but  the  bedding  and 
the  wine  and  everything  of  Caroline's  except  ten  boxes  of  wine 
and  two  clocks  is  gone.  I  believe  my  clothes  were  saved,  but 
servants  behaved  well,  exceeding  well;  nor  were  our  friends 
lacking  to  the  call.  William  Cuthbert  saw  early  in  the  evening 
the  reflection  of  the  flames  at  Pocotaligo;  jumped  upon  the  car; 
took  to  his  feet  at  the  bridge  and  was  on  the  roof  of  the  house 
doing  good  service  before  it  took  fire.  We  have  saved  a  great 
deal  more  than  other  people  and  would  have  saved  everything  if 
they  had  not  been  encouraged  to  beUeve  that  the  stone  structure 
of  St.  Finbar's  and  the  great  space  interposed  by  it  would  pro- 
tect us.  They  did  not  begin  to  move,  therefore,  until  the 
steeple  of  the  church  was  in  flames,  but  they  seemed  to  have 
worked  after  that  with  the  most  laudable  zeal.  After  it  crossed 
Broad  Street  the  progress  of  the  fire  was  so  furious  that  many  of 
our  friends  in  Logan  Street,  among  the  rest  Mr.  Willington, 
saved  nothing.  I  am  insured  in  Augusta  for  ?6,000,  which 
would  not  rebuild  the  house,  and  the  furniture  is  a  dead  loss. 
However,  I  am  thankful  it  is  no  worse,  and  sister  is  better  a  great 
deal  this  morning  than  I  expected.  Madame  Tognio  has 
opened  her  school  in  Columbia,  and  hopes  to  clear  her  house 
rent  there  by  the  scholars  that  have  stayed  by  her.  For  the 
present  we  occupy  her  house  in  Meeting  Street,*  and  as  for  the 
future  put  our  trust  in  Him  that  takes  care  of  the  sparrows.  My 
dear  love  to  the  sisters  twain,  to  the  nieces  all,  and  to  Jim,  and 
to  you,  dear  Jane,  from 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  December  19,  1861. 
My  dear  Jane: 

The  days  seem  to  have  come  at  last  when  we  may  say  "we 
have  no  pleasure  in  them."     The  fire  was  a  great  disaster,  but 


*This  house  is  the  next  south  of  the  hall  of  the  South  Carolina  Historical  Society. 


James  Louis  Petigru  423 

poor  little  Louise,  [his  niece,  Louise  Porcher]  she  furnishes  a  more 
bitter  sense  of  grief.  We  were  burnt  out,  but  the  public  loss 
seemed  to  swallow  up  in  a  great  degree  the  sense  of  our  particular 
share.  But  the  destruction  of  life,  when  it  falls  upon  the  object 
of  our  affections,  is  unmitigated  bitterness.  Pray  God  she  may 
be  spared,  but  your  letter  of  the  17th  leaves  very  little  ground 
for  hopes.  *  *  *  They  saved  all  the  pictures  but  one  [of 
Judge  Hugerl  and  I  think  it  will  be  found  to  have  been  taken 
elsewhere  by  mistake.  *  *  *  About  one  thousand  volumes 
of  my  books  are  saved.  I  have  chiefly  to  regret  the  loss  of  the 
Biographie  Universelle,  in  thirty-three  volumes,  and  the  Colum- 
bia Magazine,  in  twelve  volumes,  presented  to  me  by  Mr. 
Everett  and  intended  by  me  for  the  Dela  Howe  School  in  place 
of  that  copy  which  the  testator  left  to  it  and  which  by  the 
neglect  of  his  trustees  has  been  lost.  *  *  *  The  House  has 
stopped  the  appropriation  for  the  Code.  The  Senate  have  dis- 
agreed and  it  is  in  uncertainty.  I  received  a  letter  from  Jo  this 
morning  full  of  sympathy  and  manly  feeling.  My  sorrowful 
salutations  to  all  Badwell. 

Your  Brother. 

The  Augusta  company  in  which  I  insured  have  given  me  to 
understand  that  they  will  pay  the  insurance,  ?6,000,  without 
waiting  for  the  sixty  days  to  which  they  are  entitled. 

I  embrace  you  all  and  beg  you  not  to  grieve  over  what  can  not 
be  helped.  As  I  told  one  of  my  friends  today,  who  was  offering 
his  condolence,  I  bear  it  a  great  deal  better  than  if  it  came  from 
wickedness  of  enemies  or  the  folly  of  friends. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Charleston,  21  December,  1861. 
My  dear  Child: 

*  *  *  The  pictures  are  all  saved  and  your  drawings,  which 
last  is  owing  to  Nannie's  presence  of  mind.  The  silver  is  all 
safe.  I  had  taken  it  to  Columbia  and  deposited  it  all  in  the 
vault  of  the  Commercial  Bank  the  very  day  of  the  fire.  The 
fire  burst  out,  I  am  told,  at  11  o'clock  at  night,  and  Bull's  house 
at  the  foot  of  Tradd  street  built,  as  you  may  recollect,  in  the 
water,  and  the  last  consumed,  was  burnt  the  next  morning.  If 
you  have  received  my  letter  these  details  will  not  be  news  to  you, 
and  I  accompanied  that  letter  with  the  morning  papers  which  I 
requested  Gen.  Huger  to  permit  to  pass  as  they  contained  no 
intelligence  except  of  the  fire.  The  boxes  containing  your  wine 
are  saved,  and  5  dozen  of  mine,  but  that  is  all.  I  am  thankful 
that  the  destruction  has  been  in  those  things  which  may  be 
replaced  when  one  has  money,  rather  than  in  the  books  and 


424  ^ij^^  Letters  and  Speeches 

pictures  which  are  Hke  creatures  of  the  mind,  which  can  not  be 
measured  or  valued. 

The  loss  is  great,  but  I  can  venture  to  say  that  I  don't  feel  it  as 
much  as  you  suppose.  The  common  misfortune  is  so  great  that 
my  own  loss  shrinks  into  insignificance  in  comparison  with  it. 
And  we  have  been  greatly  sustained  by  the  proof  of  sympathy 
that  we  daily  experience.  All  your  mother's  friends  have  been 
to  comfort  and  condole  with  her.  The  Legislature  has  re-elec- 
ted me  Commissioner  on  the  Code  with  the  same  salary,  tho' 
the  necessity  of  retrenchment  is  very  strong;  and  the  Bank  of 
Charleston  has  just  voted  my  salary  for  the  coming  year  to  be 
paid  me  in  advance. 

But  a  new  grief  even  more  terrible  than  the  loss  of  home  and 
goods  awaits  us  in  the  loss  of  my  little  niece  Louise  Porcher. 
James'  letter  which  will  accompany  this  will  detail  the  circum- 
stances of  that  sad  calamity,  which  I  suppose  is  inevitable.    *  *  * 

Make  my  grateful  acknowledgements  to  your  kind  hosts,  and 
be  assured  that  you  live  in  the  heart  of 

Your  Father. 

TO   Miss    E.    L.   RUTLEDGE 

[1861] 
My  dear  Miss  Rutledge: 

Your  generosity  has  made  me  rich  in  flowers  but  poor  in 
thanks.  I  could  hardly  reconcile  to  myself  the  taking  of  the 
boxes  as  well  as  the  plants,  but  do  so,  as  a  proof  that  you  would 
not  be  sparing  when  you  are  giving.  Have  the  goodness  to  make 
my  acknowledgements  to  Mrs.  Holbrook  for  the  purple  chry- 
santhemum, which  is  so  great  an  ornament  to  the  late  season  of 
the  year,  and  accept  the  assurance  of  the  sentiments  with  which, 
I  am 

Yours  etc. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  31  December,  1861. 

Well  my  dear  child,  I  have  heard  from  you  at  last.  I  had 
concluded  that  our  countryman,  Gen.  Huger,  had  his  hands  so 
full  that  he  had  to  delegate  the  examination  of  all  letters  to  his 
orderly  and  that  this  respectable  functionary  made  short  work, 
by  piling  them  into  a  waste  basket.  But  I  did  him  great  injus- 
tice, for  he  sent  on  not  only  my  letter  but  your  letter  to  him  and  a 
copy  of  his  answer.  But  what  is  your  inquiry  about  gold.^  I 
expect  to  send  you  money,  but  certainly  expect  none  from  you. 

*  *  *  Cousin  is  at  Flat  Rock,  and  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that 
30  of  William's  negroes  have  left  him  for  the  hostile  camp.  Tom 
Coflin's  300  are  said  to  be  gone;  Miss  Pinckney's  too.  In  fact 
the  islands  to  the  south  of  Charleston  are  desolate,  and  many 


"James  Louis  Petigru  425 

persons  reduced  from  opulence  to  ruin.  Yet  I  don't  believe 
that  ourNorthern  friends  will  take  the  inhabitants  away  and 
think  that  many  ot  them  will  return. 

For  me  I  am  strong  and  hearty  and  don't  find  it  so  hard  to 
stand  reduction  as  many  people  suppose.     *     *     * 

All  the  pictures  are  saved  but  the  "Judgment,"  and  I  still 
hope  to  recover  that  as  it  is  believed  it  was  taken  out  of  the  house. 
But  all  your  books  are  lost;  all  mine  that  were  in  my  bed  room, 
and  all  that  were  in  the  room  off  the  dining  room  shared  the 
same  tate.  But  it  is  surprising  how  much  of  Ma's  odds  and 
ends  were  saved. 

The  Legislature  re-elected  me  to  the  office  of  digesting  and 
remoulding  the  Laws,  with  the  same  salary.  This  is  an  answer 
to  your  project  of  emigration.     *     *     * 

Your  Papa. 


426  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  L 

January-April,  1862 

Delivery  of  Mason  and  Slidell;  About  Sending  James 
TO  New  York,  and  his  Emigration;  Miss  Sally  Rutledge; 
Gen.  R.  E.  Lee;  Letter  to  Barnwell  Rhett;  The  Right 
to  Change  a  Boy's  Domicile;  On  the  War;  Letter  to 
J.  J.  Pettigrew;  First  Dollar  to  the  Cause;  J.  J.  Petti- 
grew  Promoted 

to  MRS.  jane  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  January  2,  1862. 
Blessings  attend  the  New  Year  to  you  and  all  of  us.  Though 
the  future  is  very  dim  and  no  blessing  to  invoke  so  near  as 
resignation.  We  need  it  and  our  need  is  great,  but  not  more 
than  our  neighbors,  Mr.  Parker  and  his  amiable  partner  (Mr. 
Lance's  daughter),  how  they  have  suffered  in  the  bereavement 
of  their  eldest  son!  And  to  think  of  Mrs.  Williams  who  has  so 
recently  lost  her  mother  and  her  husband  and  now  her  youngest 
son,  basely  murdered  by  a  cowardly  wretch  that  did  not  have 
the  courage  to  look  him  in  the  face,  but  had  the  dastard  confi- 
dence to  brave  the  law.  The  fellow's  name  is  Wingate.  George 
Williams  reproached  him  with  having  said  that  the  negroes 
executed  for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Witherspoon  were  innocent. 
He  denied  having  said  so  and  Mr.  Williams  shamed  him  for  a 
liar.  He  from  revenge  and  months  afterwards  came  behind 
him  and  discharged  his  gun  at  his  head,  scattering  his  brains  on 
the  floor.  It  is  a  pity  they  did  not  execute  summary  justice  on 
him.  He  is  in  jail  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  his  only  journey  from 
thence  will  be  to  the  gallows.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

P.  S. — The  delivery  of  Mason  and  Slidell  is  considered  a  dis- 
credit to  the  Washington  Cabinet,  and,  though  recommended  by 
a  personal  feeling  for  Mr.  Mason,  is  an  omen  of  the  determination 
of  Mr.  Seward  to  push  the  war  in  the  South. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE   PETIGRU   CARSON    FROM  GEORGE   L.   SCHUYLER 

Washington,  January  6,  1862. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Carson: 

I  have  just  been  reading  a  very  pleasant  letter  from  you 


James  Louis  Petigru  \11 

written  "some  time  in  November,"  from  the  banks  of  the  North 
River.  It  has  much  to  say  of  Charleston,  and  vividly  recalls 
the  sufferings  (jf  boyhood  in  the  cause  of  science.  I  ought  to 
have  received  this  letter  in  Paris,  for  then  I  might  have  written 
you  an  answer,  but  I  can  not  attempt  one  now. 

I  hope  to  finish  my  present  business  here  in  a  few  days.  I 
will  then  see  you  in  New  York.  I  am  using  every  exertion  to 
ascertain  the  feelings  of  "the  great  and  powerful"  here  in  regard 
to  the  position  of  your  father. 

I  had  an  interview  with  the  President  at  half  past  ten  last 
Saturday  night — a  long  social  sort  of  a  talk.  He  in  his  slippers 
and  feet  on  the  fender — I  in  dress  clothes  from  a  dinner  party. 
He  spoke  most  cordially  of  your  father,  for  I  pressed  upon  him 
his  appointment  as  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  He  said  it  was 
an  excellent  idea— he  would  think  of  it.  1  have  spoken  to  four 
or  five  Senators — all  think  well  of  it. 

But  the  only  thing  I  feel  confident  of  is  this.  That  if  your 
father  would  leave  Charleston  and  come  to  this  place  he  is  sure 
of  a  warm  and  hearty  reception,  and  of  being  offered  a  position 
which  would  not  fail  to  be  acceptable  to  him.  So  much  for 
Washington — if  on  the  other  hand  he  prefers  New  York  as  soon 
as  I  return  we  will  see  what  offer  can  be  made  to  induce  him  to 
reside  there. 

As  to  yourself,  I  beg  you  to  give  up  for  the  present  all  idea  of 
going  to  Charleston.  Painful  as  your  position  is,  any  such 
move  would  render  it  worse.  You  must  give  us — your  friends 
— time  to  see  what  is  best  to  be  done,  and  then  to  do  it  for  you. 
My  hand  is  better  but  I  do  not  get  well  as  fast  as  usual. 

Ever  your  friend, 

G.  L.  Schuyler. 

Mr.  George  L.  Schuyler  is  well  known  as  the  donor  of  the 
"American  Cup."  The  other  letter  of  Mr.  Schuyler  so  well 
shows  the  condition  of  affairs  that  it  is  placed  here. 

TO  MRS.   CAROLINE    PETIGRU   CARSON    FROM   GEORGE   L.   SCHUYLER 

Washington,  January  17th,  1862. 
My  dear  Friend: 

Last  evening  I  had  written  a  letter  to  your  father,  a  miserable 
awkward  affair,  because  his  position  is  one  which  excited  my 
feelings  when  I  dwell  upon  it  in  thought. 

My  only  redeeming  clause  was  one  in  which  I  "respectfully 
suggested"  that  I  loved  you  very  much,  and  that  "you  said  I 
might"  [write  to  him]. 

I  take  great  pleasure  in  telling  you  all  this  because  the  afore- 
said letter  is  burning  before  my  eyes. 


428  Lifcy  Letters  and  Speeches 

Angelica's  letter  to  Mrs.  Schuyler  has  arrived — brings  good 
news  as  to  your  worldly  prospects — better  as  regards  your  boy — 
and  adds  that  your  father  has  accepted  a  year's  retaining  fee  from 
the  Bank.  He  therefore  will  not  leave  for  the  present — and 
perhaps  it  is  wiser  not  to  urge  it  upon  him  just  now.  But  if  you 
still  think  best  I  can  write  my  letter  over  again.  In  a  few  days  I 
shall  see  you,  and  then  your  plans  for  this  year  can  be  discussed 
if  not  decided  upon.  I  think  it  is  rather  agreeable  to  discuss 
plans  for  the  future  when  we  are  almost  certain  they  will  be 
entirely  upset  by  circumstances  beyond  our  control.  It  has  an 
air  of  independence  at  all  events. 

Let  one  thing  however  be  concluded  and  put  at  rest  ever  in 
your  thoughts — you  are  not  to  go  to  the  South.  We  are  strug- 
gling for  existence  as  usual  here,  Washington  is  in  a  transition 
state  in  its  social  aspect.  I  find  the  old  Washington  residents 
are  playing  the  part  of  legitimists  in  Paris — refuse  to  recognize 
the  Lincoln  dynasty  and  will  not  shew  at  the  receptions.  Isn't 
this  fine.  Meanwhile  the  northern  hordes  creep  timidly  in — 
waiting  for  some  one  to  take  the  lead.  They  have  a  few  stately 
receptions  and  parties  are  at  a  deadlock. 

This  week,  however,  a  dashing  set  of  New  York  girls  are  here 
under  the  guidance  of  Mrs.  Lewis  Jones — a  charming  woman  of 
excellent  manners.  These  girls  are  some  of  them  clever,  some 
handsome,  all  well  dressed — all  sweep  through  reception  rooms 
with  an  easy  and  graceful  tread.  Seemed  pleased  with  every- 
thing and  everybody,  including  themselves— and  made  a  marked 
sensation  at  Mr.  Lincoln's  last  reception.     *     *     * 

I  hear  much  learned  talk  about  sanitary  commissions,  hospitals 
and  sympathy  for  the  poor  soldier,  who  without  friends,  etc, 

A  zealous  and  intelligent  superintendent  of  an  Alexandria 
hospital,  well  known,  I  presume,  to  Angelica,  has  sent  to  New 
York  for  musical  instruments,  song  books,  etc. 

I  am  so  much  charmed  with  this  novel  idea  of  reducing  to 
harmony  the  groans  of  the  sick  and  wounded  that  I  shall  attend 
the  first  rehearsal  to  which  the  public  is  admitted. 

How  much  better  that  a  man  whose  leg,  for  instance,  is  being 
amputated  instead  of  barbaric  cries  should  be  trained  to  sing 

the  national  air  of  "Dixie"  accompanied  by  Mrs. on  the 

accordeon. 

Yesterday  I  listened  to  a  debate  in  the  Senate — about  giving 
or  withholding  a  seat  in  that  body  to  Lane  of  Kansas.  I  listened 
to  the  argument  of  one  of  the  senators  and  thought  it  conclusive 
in  Lane's  favor,  and  committed  myself  by  remarking  to  Mrs. 
Schuyler  that  he  had  got  the  better  of  them  all,— judge  of  my 
mortification  when  this  one  proved  to  be  Lane's  bitter  enemy  and 
voted  against  him  from  beginning  to  end. 

My  time  having  come  to  hang  about  the  departments  I  must 
bid  you  farewell. 


James  Louis  Petigru  429 

My  fellow  sufferers  in  the  lobbies  will  miss  mc  if  I  stay  away 
any  longer. 

My  best  love  to  the  family, 

As  ever  yours, 

George  L.  Schuyler. 


TO  MRS.   CAROLINE   PETIGRU   CARSON 

Charleston,   18  Januarv,  1862. 
My  dear  Child: 

*  *  *  The  thought  of  my  emigration  is  foreign  from  all 
that  is  practicable.  I  should  have  believed  it  was  confined  to 
your  filial  breast  if  Detmold  had  not  written  in  the  same  wise. 
If  you  received  my  last  you  know  that  I  am  getting  5000  a  year 
for  reducing  the  statute  law  to  a  code.  As  an  emigre  my  best 
business  would  be  beggary.  *  *  *  Your  father  works  part 
of  the  day  in  St.  Michael's  Alley  and  part  here  in  Johnston's 
house  where  he  handles  the  statutes,  and  thinks  of  your  kind 
friends,  and  deplores  the  fates  that  separates  him  from  you,  and 
testifies  thus  under  his  hand. 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

On  Sunday  morning,  January  20,  after  breakfast  Mr.  Petigru 
requested  his  grandson  James  to  join  him  on  the  piazza  for  a 
little  conversation.  After  a  few  turns  he  stopped  and  suddenly 
said,  "I  want  you  to  pack  your  trunk  and  go  tomorrow  on  Mr. 
Trenholm's  ship,  as  I  have  decided  that  it  is  your  dutv  to  go 
north  to  your  mother  or  go  to  England  to  be  educated." 

The  average  boy  of  the  South  learned  his  politics  from  the 
after-dinner  talks  of  his  elders.  He  believed  as  firmly  as  the  air 
he  breathed  in  the  absolute  sovereignty  of  the  State,  and  that 
South  Carolina  was  an  independent  kingdom  with  the  right  to 
treat  with  any  kingdom  on  earth.  He  could  generally  repeat  his 
theories  as  readily  as  the  most  glib  politician. 

The  home  teachings  of  James  were  of  a  very  different  order. 
There  he  heard  discussed  the  rights  of  the  Union,  so  he  had  the 
disadvantage  of  hearing  both  sides.  But  somehow  he  had 
absorbed  the  spirit  which  filled  the  air,  and  his  leaning  was  with 
the  South.  His  feelings  were  divided  between  his  affection  and 
duty  to  his  mother  and  his  duty  to  the  State.  As  he  was  well 
grown  for  his  age  he  thought  that  he  would  forfeit  his  self  respect 
by  leaving  the  country.  And  holding  such  sentiments  he  was 
not  justified  in  joining  the  friends  of  his  mother  at  the  North. 


430  ^i/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

This  he  told  Mr.  Petlgru,  who  stopped  and  looked  at  him  in  a 
deprecating  way  and  said,  "Well,  my  friend,  I  can  venerate 
your  sentiments  but  I  can  not  respect  your  judgment. "  They 
then  went  to   church. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  20  January,  1862. 
My  dear  Child: 

Your  letter  of  the  5th  gives  me  great  concern,  because  I  don't 
know  how  to  act.  James  is  unwilling  to  go  unless  you  can 
give  him  an  assurance  that  he  will  be  free  to  come  back  if  he 
wishes.  I  have  urged  him  to  go,  and  told  him  I  would  in  his 
place  embrace  the  opportunity  with  joy.  Would  there  be  any 
use  in  trying  to  do  more.^  There  is  at  this  moment  a  fleet  off 
the  Bar,  but  who  they  are  or  whither  bound,  we  know  not. 
Long  before  this  letter  can  take  the  benefit  of  the  flag  of  truce, 
the  news  will  be  stale  and  James  will  be  at  Willington. 

TO  Miss  SALLIE  RUTLEDGE 

Meeting  Street,  20th  January,  1862. 
My  dear  Sally: 

If  I  should  ever  forget  your  goodness,  I  would  deserve  to 
suffer  cold  feet  all  my  life.  I  am  bold  to  denounce  this  penalty, 
as  the  fitting  punishment  of  any  faithless  wight,  that  would  be 
guilty  of  such  ingratitude;  feeling  an  intimate  and  perfect  per- 
suasion that  such  ingratitude  will  never  sully  my  memory.  I 
would  have  come  to  make  my  acknowledgments  in  person,  but 
felt  poorly  on  Sunday  and  did  not  go  out  but  sat  and  looked  at 
my  new  slippers,  and  I  must  say,  that,  when  my  feet  were  com- 
fortably encased  in  them  and  I  thought  of  the  nice  stockings, 
that  were  in  reserve  for  colder  weather,  I  felt  disposed  to  think 
better  of  the  world.  I  request  you  to  accept  of  the  enclosed 
photographs,  as  a  memento  of  one,  who,  if  he  were  not  a  sep- 
tuaginarian,  would  not  venture  to  tell  you  how  much  he  loves 

you. 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

General  Lee,  who  had  been  assigned  to  the  Department  of 
Carolina  and  Georgia,  arrived  in  Charleston  on  the  7th  of 
November.  The  people  were  by  no  means  happy  over  the 
assignment  because  they  said  he  was  "a  very  scientific  general." 
Mr.  Petigru,  taking  his  grandson  with  him,  called  upon  the 
General,  who  with  some  gentlemen  was  in  the  parlor  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  Mills  House.     He  had  a  close  cut  iron  gray 


James  Louis  Petigru  431 

moustache  and  looked  very  different  from  the  long-bearded 
patriarch  shown  in  his  pictures.  He  was  tall,  athletic,  quick 
and  graceful  in  his  movements.  His  manner  was  that  of  a 
genial  and  accomplished  man  of  the  world.  As  an  old  friend 
he  welcomed  Mr.  Petigru,  who  said,  "  I  beg  to  present  to  you  my 
grandson,  who  in  after  years  will  remember  that  he  has  had  the 
honor  of  shaking  the  hand  of  so  great  a  man  as  General  Lee." 
They  then  spoke  of  his  classmate,  Charles  Petigru.  In  speak- 
ing of  the  surrounding  country  he  said  that  his  horses  disliked 
the  swamp  water,  but  they  enjoyed  the  artesian  water  as  well 
as  that  of  the  mountain  streams  of  their  native  Virginia  home. 

TO  MRS.  J.ANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  January  29,  1862. 

*  *  *  I  am  sorry  to  see  that  Burnside  has  invaded  North 
Carolina.  Yet  I  have  hopes  that  Charles  is  in  such  an  out  of  the 
way  place  as  to  remove  him  from  the  reach  of  the  invader.  *  *  * 
Pray  see  that  the  pully  attached  to  oak  No.  1  of  the  avenue  is 
kept  tight.  I  wish  to  be  remembered  to  all  the  servants,  dis- 
tinguishing Andrew  as  the  head  man  and  Katy  as  the  mother  of 
the  tribe.  Not  forgetting  Charlotte  as  the  head  of  the  culinary 
department  nor  Marcus  as  the  Tubal  Cain  of  the  communitv, 
hoping  that  they  will  continue  to  set  a  good  example  and  that  the 
young  ones  will  walk  in  their  footsteps.  Wishing  whatever  is 
good  to  brother  Jack  and  Tempe,  I  embrace  the  sisterhood  and 
girls  and  am,  dear  Jane, 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jaxe  petigru  north 

Charleston,  February  5,  1862. 

*  *  *  I  see  nothing  to  reconcile  one  to  the  revolution  but 
necessity,  and  necessity  keeps  me  here.  Not  the  least  potent 
joint  of  that  necessity  is  the  joining  that  binds  me  to  all  of  you. 
I  am  not  sorry  that  none  ol  you  share  my  opinions,  for  what 
would  be  the  use  of  keener  optics  if  they  only  served  to  bring  to 
view  painful  sights?  As  for  poor  Caroline,  her  case  is  sad, 
indeed;  her  boys  are  separated,  and  without  funds.  My  love 
to  the  sisterhood  and  nieces  and  friendly  greetings  to  the  nigs. 

Your  Brother. 


432  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  7  February,  1862. 
My  dear  Child: 

The  opportunity  of  speaking  unreservedly  is  so  precious  that 
I  can  not  let  pass  this  chance  by  a  vessel  that  is  going  to  run  the 
blockade.  Yet  as  I  only  heard  of  it  a  few  minutes  ago,  and  have 
to  send  off  by  5  o'clock  there  is  little  room  for  expansion.  James 
went  on  Wednesday  night.  I  hope  he  is  already  at  Willington; 
if  you  could  have  given  me  the  assurance  that  he  would  be  at 
liberty  to  return  if  he  chose  I  would  have  been  peremptory  in 
requiring  him  to  join  you.  But  I  hesitate  to  change  his  domicile 
by  compulsion.  It  is  not  that  my  mind  balances  between  Free- 
dom and  Slavery.  So  much  am  I  a  convert  to  Locke  and  Montes- 
quieu that  I  am  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of  rejoicing  in  the  suc- 
cess of  my  countrymen;  and  in  their  defeat  at  Fort  McHenry  I 
find  something  not  absolutely  disagreeable.  But  the  right  to 
change  a  boy's  domicile  after  he  is  16  unless  by  the  Father's  will, 
is  very  questionable,  especially  when  he  is  so  unwilling.  But  in 
addition  to  this  there  is  the  risk  of  confiscation  which  is  not  to  be 
entirely  omitted  in  a  calculation  of  chances.  The  Southern 
people  are  perfectly  mad.  Even  the  sentiment  of  home,  which 
was  formerly  their  pride,  is  prostituted  to  the  rage  of  party. 
They  are  not  to  be  shamed  out  of  anything  either  mean  or  wicked 
that  feeds  their  blind  animosity.  In  these  circumstances  after 
setting  before  James  my  opinion  fully,  and  advising  him  to  com- 
ply with  your  will,  I  submitted  to  his  choice,  which  was  most 
immediate,  against  changing  his  flag. 

Now  as  to  Willie  his  education  so  far  is  more  adapted  to  an 
industrial  than  a  classic  course  of  exertion.  He  must  come  home 
of  course  or  embark  in  some  line  there  which  will  either  provide 
him  with  present  means  or  qualify  him  for  embarking  in  some 
sort  of  business.  The  law  offers  to  mediocrity  of  talent  and 
industry,  but  slow  promotion.  And  if  you  could  get  him  into 
a  commercial  or  manufacturing  course  of  instruction  I  would 
applaud  to  be  the  best  choice.  I  know  my  dear  how  severely 
you  must  feel  separation  from  your  children,  but  you  must  think 
of  their  benefit  not  of  your  feelings.  Of  the  estate  there  is  no 
difficulty  in  getting  the  application  of  everything  but  the  capital, 
and  that  we  have  no  right  to  trench  upon.  My  resources  are 
small,  but  such  as  they  are  they  will  be  spent  in  your  service.  I 
have  not  got  from  Robertson  yet  the  account  you  wrote  for;  and 
I  have  waited  because  I  knew  that  all  his  clerks  have  been  in 
camp  for  the  last  three  months.  They  only  got  home  yesterday 
and  are  immediately  to  stand  another  draft.  Ma  has  been 
awfully  sick  with  constant  nausea.  *  *  *  yj^g  invading 
fleet  and  army  lie  in  Port  Royal  Bay,  and  show  very  little 
enterprise,   tho'   they  have  lately  made  some   demonstration 


James  Louis  Petigru  433 

against  Savannah.  Another  fleet  and  army  have  invaded  North 
Carolina,  and  our  friends  at  Scuppernong  are  exposed  to  great 
danger.     Nol)ody  can  tell  how  we  will  come  out  of  this  war. 

*  *  *  Tom  Coffin  is  considered  as  a  person  in  decay.  His 
negroes  are  with  the  enemy,  and  that  is  the  case  with  a  good 
many  planters  on  the  islands.  The  others  are  carrying  their 
people  about,  or  hiring  them  out  for  their  clothes  and  victuals. 
And  indeed  the  islands  to  the  south  are  desolate,  and  the  trans- 
mutation of  fortune  like  that  of  the  stage. 

I  have  written  to  Mr.  Detmold  and  frequently  to  you.  Tell 
Linda  that  I  hope  she  will  continue  to  think  of  me  as  of  the 
devoted  father  and  renew  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Blatchford  and  to  all 
my  friends  the  assurance  that  my  sentiments  are  unchanged, 
and  that  I  heartily  wish  that  I  had  done  40  years  ago,  what  I 
would  do  now.  Let  me  know  when  you  will  be  at  the  end  of 
your  tether  that  I  may  contrive  funds  to  you.  There  is  nothing 
to  expect  from  Ball.* 

Adieu,  my  dear  child.  Heaven  guard  and  keep  you  to  bless 
the  sight  once  more  of 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  February  19,  1862. 
My  dear  Sister: 

All  your  letters  of  the  9th,  13th  and  16th  arrived  together 
yesterday  and  the  same  post  brought  one  from  Johnston,  at 
Evansport,of  the  12th.  He,  like  the  rest  of  you,  is  inflamed  with 
patriotic  ardor  to  the  boiling  point.  He  had  then  only  heard 
of  what  was  done  at  Roanoke;  what  will  be  the  effect  of  the  news 
from  Nashville  is  to  be  seen.  I  have  thought  all  along  that  the 
Gulf  States,  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  would  establish  their 
independence.  But  that  Virginia  would  lose  her  western  coun- 
try, and  I  think  so  still.  But  I  am  afraid  we  have  under- 
valued the  genius  of  the  men  opposed  to  us.  The  feat  which 
McClelland  has  performed  in  ascending  the  Tennessee  River  is  as 
a  specimen  of  military  skill  equal  to  anything  we  have  done  yet. 
He  seems  to  be  too  smart  for  Pillow  and  Floyd,  and  I  am  afraid 
that  his  success  will  stimulate  Sherman  to  an  attempt  on  this 
place.  I  have  conversed  this  morning  with  William  Martin,  (the 
general),  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  a  long  time,  and  he  looks  for 
that  event  with  considerable  doubt  as  to  the  result.  Poor  little 
Carey!  How  I  do  wish  that  she  was  with  you.  .And  if  the  inva- 
ders hold  that  part  of  North  Carolina  it  is,  perhaps,  the  best 
thing  that  Charles  can  do.  Johnston's  letter  creates  a  doubt 
whether  William  mav  not  be  among;  the  victims  of  the  Roanoke 


*Elias  Nonus  Ball.     He  purchased  "  Dean  Hall"  in  1857. 


434  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

fight.     You  will  be  relieved  of  the  suspense  sooner  than  I,  but 
Heaven  forbid  that  our  fears  should  prove  prophetic. 

Allston  and  Adele  fiUe  left  us  this  morning.  The  Governor 
sustains  himself  wonderfully  considering  the  near  prospects  of 
ruin  if  the  invader  extends  his  operations  to  Winyah  Bay.     *    *  * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  February  26,  1862. 

*  *  *  The  Islands  are  depopulated  and  the  Savannah 
River  planters  have  fled  from  the  places  near  Savannah.  Our 
friends  the  Hugers  and  Kings  and  Allen  Izard  are  among  the 
number.  There  is,  I  think,  a  growing  apprehension  that  this 
place  will  be  assailed  before  the  season  is  over,  but  at  present 
Savannah  is  more  immediately  menaced.  It  is  necessary  that 
Mary  should  put  on  a  double  coat  of  patriotic  zeal,  for  the  cause 
seems  to  need  it  more  and  more.  The  honor  of  secession  has 
been  attended  with  very  little  personal  advantage  so  far,  and 
does  not  seem  likely  to  do  much  more  for  us  soon.  Very 
enviable  is  the  condition  of  those  who  are  able  "  to  grin  and  bear 
it." 

TO  MRS.  JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

46  Meeting  Street,  March  2,  1862. 

*  *  *  I  send  Sammy.  *  *  *  He  is  the  bearer  also  of 
a  cork  oak.     *     *     * 

Some  time  since,  Johnston,  in  one  of  his  letters,  said  General 
Holmes  wanted  him  miade  a  brigadier,  which  he  did  not  care 
about,  but  I  see  the  general  has  carried  his  point  and  I  am  glad 
of  it.  *  *  *  Everybody  exclaims  against  the  Governor's 
order  requiring  everybody  to  bring  in  their  plate  to  be  melted 
down.     Sister  says  he  shall  not  have  any  of  hers.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Charleston,  1  March,  1862. 

My  dear  Chi'd: 

Yours  of  10  Feby.  was  received  two  days  after  James  left  for 
his  school,  and  more  than  a  week  ago  I  forwarded  one  to  you 
from  him.  It  is  painful  in  the  highest  degree  to  experience  in 
Civil  War  what  we  have  read  of  so  often  without  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  reality,  and  none  of  these  afflicting  incidents  more 
cruelly  would  [affect]  the  sensitive  mind  than  the  separation  of 
the  tenderest  ties  of  blood  and  friendship.  Without  proceeding 
to  lengths  that  I  could  not  justify  I  have  done  all   I  could. 


parries  Louis  Petigru  435 

William  Heyward  was  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Walker.  Com- 
manded a  Regiment.  Was  not  hurt  nor  taken.  The  alliance 
between  the  houses  of  Aiken  and  Rhett*  seems  fixed.  I  hope 
I  have  not  abused  beyond  forgiveness  the  indulgence  of  the  flag 
of  truce.     Adieu. 

Your  Father, 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  6  March,  1862. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  The  newspapers  will  have  told  you  that  Johnston 
is  a  General,  but  I  can  tell  you,  he  is  not.  He  has  disagreed  to 
the  honor,  and  as  it  takes  at  least  two  to  make  a  bargain,  he  is 
still  Colonel  of  the  22d  Regiment  of  North  Carolina  Volunteers. 
His  reasons  are  not  those  ot  arrogance.  He  has  never  been  in 
battle,  don't  think  he  has  earned  promotion;  at  all  events,  he 
doubts  whether  the  new  regiments  would  think  so,  and  if  they  did 
not,  he  would  have  to  prove  his  fitness  by  severe  measures,  and  fail 
perhaps,  in  making  them  soldiers  after  all.  And  as  there  was  a 
notion  that  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  take  his  post  in  his  own 
country,  about  Edenton,  and  he  in  reality  knows  nothing  of  the 
country  or  the  people,  he  was  inclined  to  think  his  appointment 
proceeded  upon  a  mistake,  so  he  declined  for  reasons  that  are  not 
likely  to  injure  the  service  by  becoming  popular.  This  will  grieve 
his  relations,  but  if  his  life  is  spared,  it  will  be  no  disadvantage  to 
him,  perhaps,  at  some  future  day,  that  he  was  not  anxious  to 
jump  at  any  chance  ot  promotion.  Mr.  Sass,  who  is  gone  to 
Greenville,  will  probably  see  you  and  be  able  to  tell  you  more 
about  Charleston  than  I  know.  I  only  know  that  there  is  a 
good  deal  of  dejection  in  people's  minds,  but  I  think  the  ruined 
Islanders  bear  their  reverse  with  commendable  fortitude.  Per- 
haps they  are  sustained,  in  some  degree,  by  the  sentiment  that 
teaches  us  to  submit  to  the  common  lot,  for,  in  the  present  times, 
the  difference  between  the  rich  and  the  poor  is  becoming  rapidly 
evaporated.  Meeting  my  friend  Dr.  Campbell,  this  morning, 
who  asked  how  I  was  doing,  I  answered,  "growing  richer  every 
day,"  for  as  rich  and  poor  are  relative  terms,  when  the  rich  are 
growing  poor,  it  is  pretty  much  the  same  as  if  the  poor  were 
growing  rich.  Noiiody  is  poor  when  the  distinction  between 
rich  and  poor  is  destroyed.  I  saw  Henry  this  morning,  who  is 
enjoying  a  respite,  but  is  to  go  into  camp  next  Monday.  I 
recognize  with  pleasure  your  consideration  for  my  eyes,  which 
you  have  shown  in  the  increased  sizeot  your  writing.  I  wonder 
what  sort  of  hand  little  Addy  writes,  for  it  seems  to  me,  I  have 
never  seen  her  handwriting.     Give  my  love  to  her  and  to  all  my 


*Miss  Henrietta  Aiken  and  Mr.  A.  Burnet  Rhett. 


436  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

good  friends  of  the  royal  family,  and  be  assured  of  the  affection- 
ate concern  of 

Your  Father. 


TO  J.  JOHNSTON    PETTIGREW 

Charleston,  Friday,  7th  March,  1862. 
My  dear  Johnston: 

Yours  of  the  3rd  certainly  took  me  by  surprise.  I  am  afraid 
we  shall  get  the  character  of  singularity.  I  have  got  the  credit 
of  being  the  only  man  of  my  own  way  of  thinking  in  the  State, 
and  you  have  done  what  no  man  but  yourself  was  ever  heard  to 
do.  I  can  appreciate  and  even  sympathize  with  your  unwilling- 
ness to  accept  promotion  before  it  was  earned,  yet  the  service 
that  you  have  performed,  though  on  a  field  barren  of  laurels,  was 
not  without  praise  nor  undeserving  of  honor.  And  considering 
how  common  such  military  titles  have  become,  I  don't  think 
there  would  have  been  any  reason  to  look  upon  the  commission 
of  general  as  disproportionate  to  your  proper  clairns.  There  is 
something  due  to  the  cause  in  which  one  draws  his  sword  and 
delicacy  ought  not  to  interfere  with  the  question  in  what  way  one 
can  promote  the  cause  most  effectually.  If  the  offer  is  repeated 
or  J.  D.  insists  further  I  think  you  ought  to  accept. 

It  is  not  in  North  Carolina  only  that  the  South  seems  to  be 
declining.  The  Mercury  has  thrown  off  all  reserve  and  pro- 
claims that  J.  D.  is  unfit  for  his  place.  I  am  myself  afraid  that 
he  is  but  little  better  qualified  for  it  than  Lincoln  is  for  his.  If 
it  was  not  that  I  think  the  scheme  of  the  Northern  people  is 
felo  de  se  impracticable  without  a  reconstruction  of  Government 
quite  different  from  the  plan  of  1787,  I  would  begin  to  waver  as 
to  the  success  of  Southern  independence. 

If  McClellan  can  squeeze  Johnston  out  of  Manassas  and  Polk 
out  of  Columbus,  what  is  to  prevent  the  same  process  from  being 
continued  till  they  reach  the  Gulf?  \ye  have  certainly  the 
advantage  of  the  enemy  in  spunk  and  spirit  and  the  opening  of 
the  war  was  highly  complimentary  to  us.  But  is  it  not  this  very 
thing  that  has  marked  the  history  of  the  French  and  English 
wars?  A  brilliant  onset  on  the  part  of  the  French,  terminated 
by  loss  of  territory  or  sad  reverse.  And  those  Yankees  are  at 
bottom  English,  the  same  hard,  ungracious,  interested  fellows 
that  have  worked  their  way  to  the  highest  place  in  material 
wealth  and  worldly  advantages. 

I  do  hope  Charles  and  William  will  not  be  harassed  by  Burn- 
side's  men.  The  invader  ought  to  have  objects  more  worthy  of 
a  great  and  costly  expedition  than  the  pillaging  of  peaceful  hus- 
bandmen. But  at  all  events  I  hope  they  are  not  going  to  exhibit 
that  imbecile  resistance  of  setting  fire  to  their  own  barns  and 


James  Louis  Petigru  437 

houses,  which  our  folks  are  constantly  threatening,  but  which 
they  did  not  do  when   they  evacuated  Beaufort.     *     *     * 
Adieu.  Yours  in  earnest, 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  March  12,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  went  into  Court  yesterday,  at  the  request  of  Nelson  Mit- 
chell, to  countenance  his  defense  of  Dr.  Dickson  against  confis- 
cation as  an  alien  enemy.  His  daughter,  Jane,  who  is  very 
bright,  gave  evidence  to  show  that  he  never  meant  to  expatriate 
himself  and  the  grip  of  the  Treasury  on  the  property  was  remit- 
ted. It  was  sufficiently  shameful  that  his  townsmen  had 
reported  him  as  an  alien  enemy,  and  put  everything  he  had,  for 
all  he  had  was  here,  upon  the  chance  of  a  jury.  He  was  easily 
acquitted  of  the  charge  and  so  was  Mr.  Cogsdell  *  *  * 
I  embrace  you  all  and  am  ever  your  affectionate  brother  and 
Brother  Jack's  and  Sister  Jack's  also. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Tradd  Street  (Johnston  Ho), 
Charleston,  S.  C,  18  March,  1862. 
My  dear  Carey: 

*  *  *  But  alas  shopping  is  at  a  low  ebb;  nothing  but  arti- 
cles of  necessity  engage  attention  and  they  sell  at  ridiculous 
prices.  It  is  strange  that  with  the  scarcity  of  money  everything 
rises,  and  tho'  nothing  is  sold  but  tor  cash  the  prices  are  such  as 
in  former  times  would  only  be  asked  when  the  chance  of  pay  was 
desperate.  Gen.  Sherman  is  still  at  Hilton  Head;  he  seems  to 
have  made  it  his  headquarters,  and  the  fleet  are  in  and  out 
between  Edisto  Island  and  St.  Mary's.  Whether  this  place  will 
be  attacked  is  the  subject  of  great  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the 
inhabitants.  Gen.  Ripley  is  in  command  of  this  post.  Evans, 
a  fighting  man  and  a  hard  drinker,  is  at  Stono.  Pemberton,  a 
Northern  man,  they  say  is  at  Coosawhatchie,  and  Drayton  near 
Purrysburg.  Among  them  they  must  have  a  considerable  force, 
and  Ripley  has  thrown  up  famous  works  on  the  Neck  from 
river  to  river.  I  don't  think  Sherman  will  attack  the  town 
unless  he  is  strong  enough  to  take  it;  and  I  doubt  if  he  is.  If  an 
assault  is  made  I  suppose  I  must  go  to  Summerville.  Tho'  I 
would  rather  capitulate  if  allowed  to  go  on  parole. 

But  the  wonder  of  the  times  is  the  conflict  between  the  rival 
destructives  the  Merrimack  and  the  Frickso?i.  It  inaugurates 
a  much  greater  revolution  than  rhar  of  which  Davis  is  at  the 
head,  and  the  fears  seem  to  be  that  it  will  render  the  strong  still 
stronger  and  the  weak,  weaker  still. 


438  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

From  North  Carolina  our  accounts  are  not  cheering.  Poor 
little  Carey  is  at  Hillsborough,  where  in  a  few  weeks  an  addition 
to  the  family  is  expected.  Charles  and  William  hold  on  to  their 
land,  and  if  this  was  a  decent  war,  that  would  be  the  course  of 
every  proprietor  not  in  open  arms.  But  I  am  afraid  it  would  be 
double  danger  to  remain  at  one's  plow  while  the  enemy  are 
at  hand;  for  tho'  the  enemy  might  spare  the  barns  and  houses 
it  is  very  doubtful  whether  our  friends  would  be  content  with 
anything  less  than  destruction.  The  process  of  destruction  has 
been  carried  to  great  lengths  on  the  islands.  Planters  in  many 
cases  have  burned  their  cotton,  and  Sherman's  men  have  lent  a 
willing  hand  to  complete  the  work  of  destruction.  But  the 
negroes  are  the  source  of  the  greatest  trouble.  Many  persons 
have  lost  them  all.  Few  have  escaped  without  a  share  in  the 
common  lot;  and  those  who  are  considered  the  happiest  have 
broken  up  their  settlements  and  taken  the  negroes  elsewhere. 
*  *  *  It  must  be  confest  that  our  secessionists  stand  to  their 
colours  very  stoutly.  Tho'  they  have  suffered  losses,  which 
amount  to  the  most  serious  reverses  of  fortune,  they  show  no 
disposition  to  recant,  and  they  still  talk  of  State  rights  as  the 
salvation  of  the  country.  How  long  they  will  endure  the  grind- 
ing action  of  poverty  without  repenting  of  their  martyrdom  is  to 
be  seen.  They  are  still  buoyed  up  with  the  hope  of  seeing  their 
cause  prevail.  At  first  I  had  no  doubt  that  the  Gulf  States  and 
South  Carolina  would  carry  out  their  enterprize  to  success;  at 
least  so  far  as  to  obtain  their  independence  of  the  Federal  Union; 
but  the  events  of  the  last  few  weeks  seem  to  throw  a  doubt  upon 
it.  If  all  the  States  are  as  united  as  South  Carolina  in  rage  and 
passion  against  the  union,  they  will  not  submit  while  they  have 
any  hope.  Whether  their  faith  will  survive  their  hopes  depends 
on  what  vanity  and  conceit  will  enable  men  to  endure. 

Our  friends  have  been  far  from  fortunate  in  their  campaigns. 
Drayton,  who  lost  Fort  Walker,  is  coldly  regarded.  And 
Frasier,  who  evacuated  Fernandina,  has  been  hissed  in  public  in 
Florida.  Our  cousin  Johnston  was  appointed  a  Brigadier  and 
refused  to  accept.  Some  applauded  the  greatness  of  mind  that 
values  honor  only  as  the  reward  of  service;  and  would  not  take 
promotion  because  he  had  gained  no  battle.  But  I  don't  think 
the  example  will  be  followed. 

Gold  is  at  a  premium  of  60,  and  exchange  on  England  is  45. 
Poor  chance  to  remit.     *     *     * 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

March  19th,  1862. 
*     *     *     By  the  way,  Susy  North  is  to  sing  at  the  patriotic 
concert  tomorrow  night,  at  Hibernian  Hall,  and  if  I  am  well 


"James  Louis  Petigru  439 

enough  I'll  go,  which  will  be  the  first  dollar  that  I  have  given  to 
the  cause  yet. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Bank  of  Charleston,  March  26,  1862. 

*  *  *  By  the  way,  Johnston  has  disappointed  them  that 
didn't  think  he  would  ever  do  anything  like  anybody  else.  For 
he  has  actually  allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  out  of  his 
refusal  of  promotion.  He  has  not  written  to  me  of  his  recanta- 
tion, but  it  came  to  me  last  night  in  a  very  authentic  shape.  I 
thought  it  was  a  secret,  but  was  told  of  it  this  morning,  and 
don't  feel  bound  to  be  so  chary  of  the  news  now,  inasmuch  as 
Lewis  Young's  friends  are  all  aware  that  Johnston  has  tele- 
graphed him  to  join  him  as  his  aid. 

*  *  *  I  look  forward  to  our  meeting  in  August  with  more 
pleasure  than  to  anything  else.  Indeed  what  else  can  we  look  to 
with  pleasure.''  Certainly  not  anything  in  the  state  of  affairs  in 
Richmond  or  Washington.  If  I  can  meet  my  engagements  with 
the  public  and  get  off  early  this  summer  to  Badwell  my  best 
wishes  of  those  which  1  feel  authorized  to  indulge  will  be  grati- 
fied.    *     *     *     Adieu. 

Your  Brother. 


440  L//^,  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  LI 

April-July,  1862 

Comments  on  the  War;  Wishes  He  had  Emigrated  Forty 
Years  Ago;  Gen.  Pemberton  Determined  to  Burn  the 
City;  Rumor  of  Death  of  J.  J.  Pettigrew;  Battle  of 
Secessionville;  Death  of  His  Son-in-law,  Henry  C. 
King;  South  Bleeding  at  Every  Pore;  Removal  to 
Summerville 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  April  2,  1862. 

My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  After  all  Johnston  is  a  general.  He  has  the  rare 
credit  of  having  refused  it,  and  the  proud  consciousness  that  if 
he  did  take  it  at  last  it  was  for  the  sake  of  the  service  and  not 
for  his  own  gratification.  It  was  pressed  on  him  by  the  officers 
in  council,  when  they  needed  another  general,  and  a  conflict 
was  believed  to  be  at  hand.  What  is  best  in  the  present  state  of 
things  is  hard  to  say.  I  still  think  the  South  will  attain  its 
independence.  Whether  that  is  to  be  a  gain  or  not  is  another 
question.  I  think  there  will  be  a  new  map  and  that  Jeff  Davis 
will  rule  over  the  South.  But  certainly  the  symptoms  of 
success  are  not  improving.  On  the  contrary,  the  obstinacy  of 
the  North  in  holding  on  seems  to  keep  pace  with  our  determina- 
tion to  divide.     *     *     * 

I  ought  to  mention  that  Caroline  says,  "My  love  to  my  dear 
friends,  whose  image  I  always  cherish  and  even  begin  to  hope  we 
may  meet  again  some  day  clothed  and  in  our  right  minds." 
Love  and  salutation  to  you  and  all. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  April  9,  1862. 
*  *  *  We  heard  along  the  road  the  great  victory  of 
Beauregard  which,  though  it  is  not  so  decisive  as  the  first  account 
had  it,  really  put  a  new  face  on  things.  But,  unfortunately, 
nothing  shows  like  an  opening  to  the  end.  Everything,  as  a 
writer  in  the  Times  says,  seems  impossible  but  despotism,  which 
must  come  if  everything  else  is  impossible.     It  is  very  extraordi- 


'James  Louis  Petigru  441 

nary,  at  least  seems  so  to  me,  that  money  is  in  great  plenty. 
True  it  is  paper  money.  Gold  is  upwards  of  60  percent;  if  you 
had  a  dollar  in  gold  they  would  give  you  nearly  a  dollar  and  three 
quarters  for  it.     *     *     * 

I  think  Johnston  was  right  to  reconsider  his  refusal  under  the 
circumstances,  for  the  brigade  was  without  a  commander  and  the 
officers  in  council  pressed  it  on  him.  Besides  a  man  is  bound 
when  he  engages  in  a  cause  to  do  his  best  for  it;  and  those  who 
have  the  control  ought  to  be  supposed  best  judges  of  the  way  in 
which  he  can  be  most  useful.     *     *     * 

I  pass  continually  in  the  streets  lads  in  uniform  that  look  like 

children  and  my  heart  bleeds  to  think  how  many  of  them  are 

likely  to  fall,  not  bv  the  sword,  but  worse,  by  low  company. 
*     *     * 

I  embrace  the  sisters  and  nieces  and  don't  forget  Jack  and 
Tempe,  and  hope  the  nigs  are  all  well. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  April  16,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Promotion  attends  us  certainly.  Ben  has  set  out 
to  join  Gen.  Kirby  Smith,  with  the  increased  rank  of  lieutenant 
colonel. 

I  hope  Burnside  will  find  something  better  to  do  than  hanging 
and  worrying  the  peaceful  husbandmen  on  the  borders  of  Scup- 
pernong.  It  is  a  pitiful  business,  whether  we  have  regard  to  the 
operation  itsell  or  its  influence  on  the  great  question.  Though 
Pulaski  has  fallen  the  people  of  Savannah  talk  strongly  of  their 
defences.  I  don't  think  we  shall  see  them  this  spring  but  next. 
Winter  may  witness  a  different  scene  here.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  April  17. 

*  *  *  Well  done  for  little  Carey!  Has  she  not  done  her 
duty  by  Scuppernong — two  sons  and  four  daughters  and  only 
nine  years  a  wife?  Why,  the  Queen  of  England  hardly  beats 
her.  It  will  gladden  my  heart  to  see  her  and  the  little  troop, 
as  I  hope  I  will  in  July.  *  *  *  They  may  enjoy  their  home 
this  year  on  the  Waccamaw,  but  if  there  is  no  great  change 
Georgetown  as  well  and  Charleston  may  look  out  for  storms 
next  winter.  Indeed  there  is  apprehension  that  without  any 
descent  on  the  city  Forts  Sumter  and  Moultrie  may  be  reduced 
by  iron  clad  gunboats,  in  which  case  the  enemy  may  occupy  the 
harbor  without  the  employment  of  any  land  forces  at  all,  and 


442  Lifs-,  Letters  and  Speeches 

without  molesting  the  city,  which  would  be  their  true  policy, 
but  they  are  not  so  much  wiser  than  we  as  to  secure  them 
from  imitating  our  example  and  acting  from  passion  instead  of 
reasons  dictated  by  prudence.  *  *  *  j  have  received  a 
letter  from  Caroline  by  the  way  of  Havana  and  New  Orleans. 
In  terms  this  time  not  ambiguous  nor  elliptical  she  expresses  her 
great  desire  to  be  retained  in  the  memory  of  her  dear  aunts  and 
cousins  and  to  have  Jem  with  her.  It  seems  she  tells  the  New 
Yorkers  that  her  papa's  character  is  portrayed  in  Plutarch's 
"Phocion."  I  hope  the  parallel  will  not  be  carried  out  to  the 
ending. 

TO  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  17  April,  1862. 
Before  I  received  your  letter,  dear  Carey,  of  17th  ult.,  I  had 
committed  to  a  private  hand,  which  turned  out  to  be  Jack 
Hamilton,  a  long  epistle  for  you.  Jack  was  so  secret  that  I  had 
no  intimation  who  the  obliging  person  that  would  take  charge  of 
the  missive  was  till  some  time  after  he  was  gone,  when  Louisa 
told  me.  I  suppose  he  has  some  mission  to  England  and  is  try- 
ing to  reach  his  destination  by  way  of  Nassau.  Your  dear 
letter  of  the  17th  was  a  surprise;  for  it  had  been  over  and  again 
reported  in  the  papers  that  the  flag  of  truce  was  stopped.  I 
ventured  yesterday  to  entrust  an  open  letter  to  the  same  con- 
veyance tho'  they  told  me  at  the  Post  Office  that  they  did  not 
think  it  would  pass.  *  *  *  j  suppose  you  know  by  the  way 
of  Port  Royal  all  that  goes  on  here,  and  are  aware  that  Pulaski 
has  fallen  and  Savannah  is  threatened.  I  have  no  expectation 
that  it  will  hold  out  or  even  stand  a  siege.  But  it  is  not  believed 
that  the  invaders  are  in  sufficient  force  to  make  a  descent  on  this 
place,  and  in  accordance  with  what  I  take  to  be  their  policy, 
never  to  fight  without  such  an  advantage  on  their  side  as  to  make 
the  event  almost  certain.  I  look  for  them  here  next  winter. 
Most  heartily  do  I  wish  that  I  had  emigrated  long  ago.  I  am 
living  now  on  my  pay  as  Redactor  of  the  Statute  law,  for  all  law 
business  is  at  a  stand.  The  courts  are  not  actually  shut  up,  but 
no  suits  for  the  recovery  of  debts  are  allowed,  nor  can  any  civil 
case  be  tried  without  the  consent  of  both  parties.  Scarcity  has 
commenced.  Corn  is  a  dollar  and  a  half  to  two  dollars  a  bushel, 
and  butter  and  meat  at  exorbitant  prices.  I  want  to  get  rid  of 
at  least  one  of  the  horses,  but  Ma  will  not  agree  to  it,  so  we  have 
to  go  along,  but  I  fear  that  my  5000  will  not  support  us  through 
the  year.  We  are  in  great  uncertainty  about  the  state  of  things 
in  the  West.  Our  accounts  of  the  battles  of  the  6th  and  7th  of 
this  month  are  very  vague  and  contradicted  in  many  particulars 
by  the  evidence  of  facts.  Whether  Gen.  Buell  is  killed  or  woun- 
ded is  even  still  unknown.     I  confess  I  see  no  indication  as  yet 


James  Louis  Petigru  443 

of  faltering  on  this  side,  and  if  the  spirit  of  the  North  is  as  high 
as  that  of  the  Southerners,  anarchy  is  more  likely  than  peace. 
Plowden  Weston  is  an  instance  of  the  violence  of  the  distemper 
in  men's  minds.  I  saw  him  last  week  at  Haddrels  Point  with  his 
company.  Dirty,  haggard,  and  lean;  he  said  he  was  enamoured 
of  a  soldier's  life;  had  turned  over  a  new  leaf  at  42,  and  was  in  for 
the  war.  The  Regiment  he  belongs  to  consisting  of  George- 
town people  and  that  county  marched  on  Wednesday  for  Corinth 
but  as  Huntsville  is  occupied  they  will  not  get  there.  I  expected 
to  see  our  friend  Jo  Blyth  among  them,  but  his  company  is 
detained  tor  local  defence.  The  planters  thereabouts  have  not 
been  worried  yet,  and  as  the  season  of  malaria  is  coming  on,  I 
begin  to  hope  that  Jo  and  Uncle  Allston  will  be  permitted  to 
enjoy  their  homes  another  season.  They  are  to  summer  at 
Plantersville.  Ben  is  gone  to  Knoxville  with  the  rank  of  Lieut. 
Colonel,  which  speaks  well  for  his  standing  in  the  army.  John- 
ston is  a  Brigadier.  *  *  *  Charley  Porcher  volunteered 
last  fall,  and  is  with  Hampton's  legion.  It  grieves  me  to  meet 
in  the  streets  continually  beardless  youths  in  soldier's  garb;  to 
think  of  the  evils  to  which  the  contamination  of  low  company  is 
exposing  the  rising  generation.  Phil  is  in  Savannah  with  some- 
thing to  do  in  our  pop  gun  navy.  *  *  *  James  is  as  well  as 
ever,  but  I  am  afraid  it  will  be  hard  to  keep  him  out  of  camp  if 
the  war  lasts  till  he  is  a  man.  Charles  and  William  have  escaped 
but  they  are  in  great  dread  of  a  hostile  visit,  tho'  I  hope  Burnside 
has  higher  game  to  fly  at.  To  change  the  key:  Our  cousin 
Adele*  is  engaged  to  Arnoldus.  Her  mother  acknowledges  it,  but 
says  the  wedding  is  to  be  deferred  till  the  war  is  over.  If  that 
condition  be  insisted  on  our  friend,  Arnoldus,  may  still  be  an  old 
bachelor.  *  *  *  Love  me  Dear,  as  you  always  have  been 
the  delight  of 

Your  Father. 

Dan  is  a  private  in  the  Calhoun  Guards;  Henry  is  the  Captain 
of  the  Sumter  Guards;  they  are  both  on  James  Island.  *  *  * 
Among  the  deficiencies  which  we  have  cause  to  feel  is  the  bad- 
ness of  the  pens  and  ink.  I  have  written  the  most  of  this  letter 
with  something  little  better  than  a  wooden  pen.  How  those 
blots  came  on  the  first  page  is  more  than  I  can  tell. 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN  PETIGRU   KING 

Meeting  Street,  30  April,  1862. 
My  dear  Sue: 

Ma  longs  for  Summerville,  and  we  will  set  about  moving  next 
week,  tho'  for  myself,  I  have  as  little  inclination  for  it  as  vou 


"Adele  Allston — Arnoldus  Vanderhorst. 


444  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

have.  Neither  will  we  feel  altogether  safe  there  if  the  invaders 
make  an  attempt  on  Charleston.  We  do  not  expect  that,  how- 
ever, and  as  they  seem  in  no  hurry  to  occupy  Savannah,  I  dare 
say  they  will  wait  till  next  winter  for  an  assault  on  this  place. 
Perhaps,  in  the  meantime,  we  may  have  a  treaty  of  peace,  which 
would  be  very  welcome  to  me,  even  if  it  did  not  concede  all  that 
Mr.  Yancy  or  Mr.  Rhett  would  demand.  Nor  am  I  without 
hopes  that  the  rival  claims  of  the  North- West  and  the  South- 
West  to  the  Mississippi  River  may  be  adjusted  more  easily  after 
the  enemy  are  in  possession  of  the  forts.     *     *     * 

Your  Parent. 

to  william  elliott 

Charleston,  6  May,  1862. 
My  dear  Elliott: 

The  Doctor  and  I,  loaded  with  the  proofs  of  your  generous 
larder,  made  our  way  on  Thursday  to  the  town,  without  meeting 
with  any  mishap.  Discussing  all  the  while,  at  intervals,  the 
liberal  hospitality  of  the  master  of  the  mansion  we  had  left,  the 
mild  dignity  of  the  Lady,  the  ready  wit  of  Miss  Elliott  and  Emily 
with  occasional  interjections  of  dissatisfaction  with  Jeff  Davis,  for 
neglecting  the  merits  of  the  General,*  enlivened,  now  and  then, 
with  recollections  of  Ralph'sf  soldierly  narrative.  I  hope  that 
the  current  has  continued  unruffled  by  any  further  aggression 
of  the  Enemy  and  that  you  have  had  no  new  opportunity  of  dis- 
playing greatness  of  mind,  by  meeting  the  trials  of  fortune  with 
a  resolute  cheerfulness.  It  was  not  till  yesterday  that  I  could 
see  Ripley  and  tell  him  of  your  suggestion.  He  received  it  with 
a  good  grace;  assured  me  that,  his  views  concurred  with  you; 
that  he  meant  to  secure  the  magazine  with  an  exterior  covering 
of  Palmetto  and  heartily  wished  that  he  could  plank  in  the  whole 
wall  of  the  Fort,  10  feet  deep  with  it.  But,  unless  they  were  to 
tear  up  the  wharfs,  I  don't  see  how  he  could  procure  the  material 
in  sufficient  quantity.  I  saw  Gen.  Pemberton  on  Saturday; 
called  on  him  with  Chancellor  Dunkin  and  Judge  Withers.  He 
professed  his  determination  to  defend  the  City  to  the  last 
extremity,  even  if  Sumter  and  Moultrie  fell,  and  thought  it 
better  to  make  a  ruin  of  Charleston  than  let  the  Yankees  sleep 
in  it.  To  this  opinion  I  modestly  dissented.  The  life  of  a  city 
is  not  to  be  thrown  away  for  a  conceit.  And  what  better  than 
mere  egotism  is  it,  to  expose  the  innocent  inhabitants  to  the  rage 
of  the  conqueror,  merely  to  stick  a  feather  in  a  General's  cap  as  a 
fighting  man.  To  defend  a  position,  that  is  indefensible,  at  the 
risk  of  drawing  down  vengeance  upon  the  inhabitants,  is  con- 


*General  Gonzales,  who  had  married  Ernie  Elliott. 
jRalph  Elliott,  son  of  Mr.  Wm.  Elliott. 


James  Louis  Petigru  445 

demned  by  the  military  code.  He  said  nobody  could  know 
whether  a  place  were  indefensible,  till  it  was  tried,  and  I  remarked 
that  the  responsibility  rested  with  the  commander.  He  never 
took  his  cigar  out  of  his  mouth,  the  whole  time,  and  looked 
earnest.  It  seems  certain  that  Charleston  will  fall.  The 
powers  of  attack  have  advanced,  it  seems,  faster  than  those  of 
defence,  and  everybody  expects  the  Yankees  will  take  Fort  Sum- 
ter, when  they  are  ready.  The  hour  is  evidently  approaching 
when  peace  will  be  welcomed  on  moderate  terms,  but  it  has  not 
come.  Present  my  cordial  civilities  to  all  your  pleasing  and 
accomplished  house,  and  believe  me,  my  dear  Elliott, 

Yours  truly, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Charleston,  10  May,  1862. 
My  dear  child: 

Yours  of  the  16th  surprised  us  all  for  it  bore  the  Norfolk  Post 
Office  stamp,  and  had  certainly  been  read,  for  within  James', 
which  accompanied  it,  was  a  memorandum  that  no  postage  stamp 
had  been  in  it.  I  dare  not  trust  the  Norfolk  route  with  this,  as 
there  is  no  probability  that  a  battle  and  a  flag  of  truce  can  be 
reconciled.  This  happens  to  be  my  birthday,  and  it  will  be  more 
memorable  hereafter  than  it  is,  if  it  be  true  as  we  are  told,  that 
McClellan  and  Jo.  Johnston  are  this  day  measuring  swords, 
somewhere  about  Chickahominy  Swamp.  War  has  been  gener- 
ally considered  the  game  of  Kings,  and  much  good  indignation, 
both  prose  and  verse,  has  been  poured  on  rtn'al  heads  for  indulg- 
ing in  such  cruel  sport.  But  it  is  now  clear  that  Demos  is  fully 
as  much  addicted  to  that  sort  of  dissipation  as  royalty  itself.  I 
deplore  the  personal  and  individual  misery  which  the  efl^usion  of 
blood  today,  in  Virginia  and  Mississippi,  will  bring  to  pass.  But 
the  pulse  of  the  people  is  still  so  high  as  to  call  for  more  bleeding, 
before  quinine  can  be  administered  with  any  hope  of  benefit. 
We  have  a  Northern  man  here  of  the  name  of  Pemberton,  who 
boasts  that  he  will  defend  the  city  to  the  last  extremity,  which 
means  I  suppose  that  he  will  force  the  enemy  to  bombard  it. 
Since  the  experience  of  Pulaski  and  the  Mississippi  Forts,  people 
have  lost  all  confidence  in  Sumter.  Pemberton  and  Ripley  seem 
to  place  no  reliance  on  it;  and  the  carts  and  cars  are  going  all  day 
long  up  King  and  Meeting  Streets  carrying  men,  women  and 
children  to  the  rail  road.  We  will  move  to  Summerville  on 
Friday  the  16th.  Our  silver  and  yours  has  been  in  Columbia  for 
months.  When  we  leave  Mad.  Togno's  I  intend  to  move  the 
pictures,  because  I  do  not  expect  to  occupy  the  house  again,  but 
I  intend  to  leave  the  office  as  it  is.  Ma  has  much  improved  of 
late,  but  is  impatient  to  get  away.     For  a  wonder  nobody  has 


446  ^i/^^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

yet  denounced  the  Major  [Lowndes].  But  Mrs.  Van  Buren  has 
been  on  the  confiscation  docket  for  months.  I  inquired  and 
found  she  was  undefended;  so  acting  on  the  fact  you  mentioned 
I  went  to  Columbia  last  Wednesday;  procured  copies  of  the 
papers  and  prepared  to  intervene  for  her.  The  trial  will  not 
come  on  for  some  months,  and  I  think  she  has  a  good  case,  unless 
the  S.  C.  can  produce  proof  that  Major  V.  B.  has  contributed  to  the 
war.  If  he  has,  he  would  hardly  be  so  indiscreet  as  to  give  the 
accusers  the  opportunity  of  proving  it.  In  the  reorganization 
under  the  conscription  law,  William  C.  Hetward  was  thrown  out 
bv  the  vote  of  the  Regiment.  It  is  the  same  with  almost  every 
officer  whom  we  know.  Jo  Blyth  for  one;  James  Lowndes  for 
another;  John  DeSaussure  and  a  host  of  others.  If  I  get  a  chance 
I  will  tell  William  that  he  ought  to  write  to  his  mother,  and  take 
the  chance  (to  which  I  will  commit  this)  to  one  of  Mr.  Tren- 
holme's  ships  bound  to  Nassau,  or  to  Liverpool. 

Mrs.  Holbrook's  health  is  very  poor.  I  always  take  pleasure 
in  delivering  your  messages  to  her.  Jack  Middleton  is  on  Gen. 
Drayton's  staff.  James  Lowndes,  poor  fellow,  is  trying  to  raise 
another  company;  seems  infatuated  with  the  war.  *  *  * 
Johnston  is  probably  in  the  action  and  I  shudder  to  think  what 
may  be  our  next  news  of  him.  He  don't  keep  a  trumpeter,  and 
never  blows  himself.  If  he  is  disgusted  he  is  convinced  that  a  man 
to  be  anything  in  these  days  must  be  a  military  man.     *     *     * 

TO  MRS.  S.  C.  WILLIAMS 

Charleston,  May  13,  1862. 

My  dear  Madam: 

If  you  had  known  that  I  told  Col.  Moses  in  Columbia,  last 
Wednesday,  just  after  the  Court  had  delivered  their  judgment 
in  Wingate's  appeal,  that  I  was  much  inclined  to  get  a  petition 
to  the  Governor  to  hang  him,  you  would  not  have  confined  your- 
self to  the  claims  of  your  father  and  your  husband  upon  my  zeal. 
There  is,  it  is  true,  no  claim  stronger  on  my  feelings  than  the 
memory  of  those  excellent  men,  models  of  every  virtue  that 
elevates  and  improves  society.  Nor  do  I  conceive  that  any- 
thing is  more  fitting  than  the  detestation,  which  an  odious  crime 
provokes  on  the  part  of  every  good  man.  But  as  I  said  to  Col. 
Moses,  I  was  only  restrained  from  petitioning  the  Governor  not 
to  pardon,  by  the  general  rule  that  one  should  hear  both  sides 
before  he  takes  a  part.  But  this  will  not  prevent  rne  from 
espousing  your  cause  with  the  Governor,  to  whom  I  am  writing  by 
th's  post.  I  don't  think  that  anybody  can  put  the  matter  in  a 
more  affecting  and  convincing  manner  than  you  have  done.  I 
will  endorse  a  copy  of  your  letter  to  the  Governor.  I  send  a 
copy  instead  of  the  original  on  account  of  one  sentence,  which 
would  be  wounding  to  his  self-love,  as  it  implies  that  the  public 


"James  Louis  Petigru  447 

do  not  give  him  credit  for  a  strong  will.  My  dear  Mrs.  Williams, 
I  have  often  thought  of  your  severe  trials;  afflictions  from  the 
hand  of  God,  that  are  hard  to  bear,  and  injuries  frcjm  the  hand 
of  man,  which  surpass  the  measure  of  forgiveness.*  I  believe 
that  you  are  sustained  by  all  the  consolations  of  a  good  conscience 
but  the  wounds  inflicted  must  long  continue  to  bleed  notwith- 
standing all  that  religion  and  reason  may  say.  Nor  can  it 
avail  much,  in  such  circumstances,  to  know  that  you  are  atten- 
ded by  the  sympathy  of  every  heart  that  knows  how  to  feel  for 
human  suffering.  But,  if  this  base  murderer  should  be  allowed  to 
go  at  large,  it  would  be  a  new  crime,  at  the  expense,  not  only  of 
your  feelings,  but  of  those  of  the  public,  which  would  be  out- 
raged by  such  a  contempt  of  justice.  I  have  a  better  opinion  of 
Mr.  Pickens  than  to  believe  that  he  can  be  so  derelict  to  the  moral 
sentiment  of  a  civilized  people,  and  will  write  to  him  very  plainly, 
with  all  the  confidence  inspired  by  an  honest  indignation  against 
a  dastardly  murder.  Accept,  my  dear  Madam,  the  assurance  of 
my  hearty  sympathy  in  your  sorrows  and  my  veneration  for  the 
memory  of  those  most  nearly  related  to  you  and  endeared  to  me 
by  the  ties  of  friendship. 

TO  COUNT  DE  CHOISEUL 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  20  Mav,  1862. 
My  dear  Sir: 

I  would  be  very  glad  to  procure  for  a  letter  for  my  daughter 
the  safe  guard  of  your  protection;  but  am  in  doubt  whether  it 
would  be  regular  for  you  to  take  charge  of  a  private  letter.  If 
you  would  have  the  goodness  to  say  by  a  line  whether  you 
could  undertake  to  receive  a  communication  in  writing  for  her 
I  would  commit  it  to  your  care  with  the  assurances  that  it 
contains  nothing  but  the  commonplaces  as  the  affectionate 
intercourse  of  parent  and  child  will  suggest,  and  no  intelligence 
but  family  news.  If,  as  I  fear,  the  strictness  of  belligerent 
politeness  will  admit  of  no  accommodation  to  private  corres- 
pondence through  the  medium  of  a  neutral  then  I  beg  you  in  case 
you  fall  in  with  her  in  New  York  to  let  Mrs.  Carson  know  that 
her  son  is  well,  and  his  conduct  satisfactory;  that  her  Mama  and 
I  move  today  to  Summerville,  and  her  .Aunt  Harriette  tomorrow 
to  Spartanburg.  That  her  cousin  little  Carey  with  her  sixth 
baby  is  expected  at  Cherry  Hill  the  first  week  in  next  month, 
under  the  escort  of  Mary  Biount  her  sister-in-law,  who  has  been 
emulating  the  example  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  in  the  Hospital 
at  Petersburg.  That  Mrs.  .Allston  is  still  undetermined  where 
she  is  to  go  this  summer,  tho'  the  present  aspect  of  things  seems 
to  favor  the  probability  that  the  Governor  and  she  will  take 


"See  letter  of  January  2,  1862. 


448  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

refuge  in  a  log  cabin  at  Plantersville.  Tho'  she  is  anxious  to 
transfer  the  scene  to  China  Grove.  That  the  fighting  members 
are  at  their  posts.  Johnston  between  WilHamsburg  and  Rich- 
mond; Ben  near  Knoxville;  Phil  in  some  creek  near  Savannah, 
and  poor  Charley  somewhere  in  the  ranks  and  her  brother  on 
the  sick  list  in  Charleston.     *     *     * 

And  you  may  add  if  you  please,  that  Gen.  Pemberton 
threatens  to  make  a  heroic  stand  at  Charleston;  and  that  the 
most  judicious  critics  begin  to  suspect  that  we  are  going  to  be 
soundly  thrashed.  My  dear  Count,  I  do  not  expect  you  to 
remember  the  one-half  of  these  things,  nor  even  the  one-half 
of  that;  but  if  you  would  condescend  to  transmit  this  very  unin- 
teresting letter  to  her,  the  law  would  not  for  the  first  time  allow 
that  to  be  done  indirectly  which  can  not  be  done  directly. 
Her  address  is  6  East  Fourteenth  Street,  New  York  (Mrs.  Car- 
son). With  my  hearty  respects  to  the  Countess,  and  for  sin- 
cere vows  for  your  voyage  that  it  may  be  fair  and  safe,  and  with 
the  indelible  impression  of  all  the  good  and  estimable  qualities 
that  have  made  you  deservedly  dear  to  the  people  of  Charleston, 
I  am,  my  dear  Count,  Yours  truly, 

J.  L.  Petigru. 

TO  MRS.  S.  C.  WILLIAMS 

Charleston,  4  June,  1862. 

My  dear  Madam: 

Gov.  Pickens  has  answered  the  letter  which  I  told  you  I  had 
written  to  him,  at  the  same  time  that  I  sent  him  a  copy  of  yours. 
His  answer  is  quite  satisfactory,  although  he  says  nothing  about 
the  removal  of  the  prisoner,  which,  indeed,  seems  scarcely  to 
fall  within  his  province,  unless  an  order  were  made  to  that  effect 
by  the  Judiciary.  He  says,  "Please  say  to  Mrs.  Williams  that 
I  never  have  received  any  application  whatever  for  the  pardon  of 
Wingate.  It  has  never  been  intimated  to  me  that  a  petition  would 
be  sent.  I  have  received  several  letters  against  the  pardon  but 
none  for  it.  I  desire  her  to  know  this,  as  she  seems  to  be  under 
the  impression  that  I  am  pressed  by  such  applications.  She  may 
rest  assured  that  if  ever  any  such  application  be  made  to  me 
nothing  but  the  report  of  the  Judge  with  his  notes  of  evidence  shall 
govern  my  mind  in  the  slightest  degree.  No  standing  nor  con- 
nexions,however  high, shall  ever  screen  him  from  law  and  justice." 
With  such  sentiments  I  think  the  Governor  holds  out  to  Wingate 
no  prospect  but  the  alternative  between  suicide  or  a  public  exe- 
cution. My  heart  has  bled  for  you,  when  I  reflected  on  the  rnany 
trials  you  have  sustained  in  the  nearest  and  tenderest  relations. 
I  now  bleed  for  a  cause  that  comes  home  to  myself.  My  near 
and  dear  friend  and  relation  Gen.  Pettigrew  has  fallen  a  victim 
to  this  war  of  ambition  and  wounded  vanity.     It  is  true  that 


James  Louis  Petigru  449 

his  fate  is  not  aggravated  by  the  abhorrence  that  attends  a  base 
assassination,  but,  though  he  sleeps  in  the  bed  of  honor,  it  is  a 
melancholy  reflexion,  that  he  has  fallen  in  a  fraternal  conflict. 
With  the  highest  consideration,  I  am  dear  Madam, 

Your  hereditary  friend, 

P.  S. — The  Governor's  letter  is  dated  20th  May.  My  en- 
gagements at  Summerville,  where  I  have  a  task  that  prevents 
from  coming  to  town  more  than  once  a  week,  is  the  cause  of 
much  delay. 

TO    MRS.    JANE    PETIGRU    NORTH 

Summerville,  June  4,  1862. 

Ah,  my  dear  Jane,  has  not  the  war  come  home  to  us.''  If  fore- 
thought or  anticipation  could  prepare  us  for  the  evil  I  would 
have  borne  this  most  cruel  blow  with  fortitude,  for  from  the 
time  he  left  us,  and  especially  since  late  events,  I  never  expected 
to  see  Johnston  again.  I  have  said  so  repeatedly,  yet  when  the 
dread  blow  came,  I  have  found  it  too  much  for  me.*  It  seems 
to  be  the  will  of  heaven  that  our  family  should  never  rise.  Your 
Albert  and  mine,  and  poor  Charles,  and  now  Johnston,  the 
brightest  and  strongest  of  them  all.  And  then  our  Tom  whose 
manly  firmness  was  equal  to  all  trials,  and  his  son  whose  youth 
gave  the  fairest  promise  of  a  character  that  would  be  a  blessing 
to  his  family,  are  all  taken,  and  you  are  all  left  with  hardly  any- 
body but  me,  a  poor  old  man.  But  let  us  be  resigned  and  make 
no  parade  of  our  grief.  He  sleeps  on  the  bed  of  honor,  and 
though  the  world  will  never  know  his  worth,  his  name  will 
stand  above  reproach.  I  got  the  intelligence  on  Monday.  I 
am  going  to  town  to-day,  and  will  finish  my  letter  when  I  have 
learned  more  particulars;  for  the  reports  are  very  inconsistent. 
That  he  was  left  in  the  battle,  and  that  Longstreet  had  gained 
a  victory  seem  to  be  contradictions  which  I  can  not  understand. 

Charleston :  I  have  seen  a  great  many  persons  today,  all  expres- 
sing the  highest  admiration  for  our  departed  friend,  and  greatest 
sympathy  with  us.  Governor  Pickens  telegraphed  to  communi- 
cate the  event.  I  send  you  this  despatch;  unfortunately  it 
throws  no  light  on  the  uncertainty  of  the  story.  The  idea  that 
the  Virginians  were  driving  the  enemy  before  them  is  the  tale  of  a 
sanguine  man.  There  is  but  too  much  reason  to  believe  that 
the  next  authentic  news  will  be  that  Johnston  has  evacuated 
Richmond. 

Pemberton  continues  to  make  a  display  of  his  intention  to 
defend  the  city  to  the  last  extremity.  I  have  no  objection  to 
that,  but  I  do  object  to  the  wicked  threats  to  reduce  the  town  to 


*The  rumor  of  Gen.  Pettigrew's  death  proved  false. 


450  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

ashes.  It  seems  that  some  of  Izard  Middleton's  friends  have 
burnt  his  mill.  Without  impugning  the  valor  of  our  men  I  am 
sorry  to  say  that  many  of  them  don't  seem  to  know  how  near 
desperation  and  cowardice  are  to  one  another.  The  men  who 
call  for  the  mountains  to  fall  and  cover  them  are  not  the  champ- 
ions for  people  to  rely  on.  The  enemy  have  effected  a  landing 
on  James  Island,  and  people  seem  to  think  that  they  meditate  an 
assault  on  the  town.  I  do  not  think  so  for  they  are  not  in 
sufficient  force  to  make  such  an  enterprise  profitable.     *      *      * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  June  11,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  have  received  no  letter  from  you  today,  but  I  have  seen 
yours  of  the  7th  and  10th  to  Joe.  Have  we  not  reason  to  be 
grateful  to  the  Divine  mercy  that  Johnston  is  spared?  Tho' 
his  wound  is  severe  I  don't  believe  it  is  as  painful  as  his  imprison- 
ment, but  I  have  passed  from  the  extreme  of  despondency  to 
that  of  hope,  and  take  it  for  granted  that  his  wound  will  heal  and 
that  his  friends  at  the  North,  where  he  has  at  least  one  very 
strong  one,  will  soon  obtain  his  release,  or  at  least  his  parole. 
Instead  of  losing  we  have  found  a  cousin  in  the  Rev.  William  I. 
Pettigrew.  I  enclose  a  copy  of  his  letter  received  today,  thinking 
it  will  be  more  interesting  than  anything  1  can  say.  The  strange 
part  is  that  he  has  been  so  long  in  Richmond,  and  without  our 
hearing  of  him,  for  he  is  evidently  an  educated  man  of  great 
respectability. 

The  enemy  have  landed  in  great  force  on  James  Island. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  fighting  yesterday,  and  they  say  that 
one  of  our  Georgia  regiments  is  very  badly  cut  up. 

With  great  haste  and  love  without  bounds,  I  am,  dear  Sis,  for 
you  and  all  the  tribe,  as  ever  devotedly, 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  susan  petigru  king 

Charleston,  18  June,  1862. 
My  dear  Child: 

Events  have  thickened  very  fast  upon  us  since  I  saw  the  Count 
de  Choiseul  and  put  in  his  hands  a  letter  which  he  will  show  you 
or  make  the  contents  known;  I  hope  he  has  done  so.  That  was 
the  28th  May.  On  the  third  of  June  I  received  the  most  distress- 
ing news,  and  from  that  to  the  7th  mourned  Johnston  as  dead. 
Then  came  the  correction  that  he  was  not  dead  but  a  prisoner. 
It  was  most  unexpected  for  Lewis  Gourdine's  telegram  had 
stated  that  he  was  left  dead  on  the  field  of  battle.     After  the 


James  Louis  Petigru  451 

correction  I  received  a  letter  from  Lewis  dated  the  3d,  but  not 
mailed  till  the  7th,  which  gave  such  account  by  the  fellows  who 
pretended  to  have  seen  him  last  as  to  leave  hardly  a  doubt 
(indeed  no  doubt  if  they  were  believed)  that  he  was  then  dying 
or  actually  dead.  It  was  of  course  great  joy  to  learn  that  they 
were  mistaken;  but  the  next  news  was  that  Minnie's  second 
daughter  died  4  days  after  the  third  daughter  came  into  the 
world.  Then  followed  a  visit  from  Captain  Corrie  bringing  in 
poor  Dan,  with  an  ulcer  in  his  throat,  thoroughly  salivated,  and 
as  weak  as  a  chicken.  And  last  of  all  yesterday  morning  I  heard 
that  poor  Henry  had  been  mortally  wounded  the  day  before  at 
Secessionville.  I  hurried  as  soon  as  I  could  to  town,  and  was  in 
time  to  see  him  alive,  receive  the  last  squeeze  of  his  hand  and 
hear  his  last  accents,  which  were  to  call  to  mind  his  wife  and 
child.  He  bore  his  sufferings  heroically,  and  among  his  last 
words  was  a  pious  expression  of  hope  and  resignation.  He  was 
shot  with  a  minnie  ball  in  the  left  breast  and  the  ball  passed 
through  his  body.  His  funeral  takes  place  this  afternoon  at  4 
o'clock. 

Very  dismal  is  the  state  of  things.  I  do  not  see  any  abatement 
of  the  rage  with  which  the  Southern  people  entered  into  the  war. 
They  suffer  dreadfully.  Their  soldiers  are  badly  clothed,  and 
often  have  to  sleep  on  the  bare  ground,  and  their  subsistence  and 
pay  precarious;  yet  as  far  as  those  about  here  and  near  Richmond 
are  concerned,  there  seems  no  decline  of  spirits.  It  is  to  be 
confessed  however  that  in  the  West,  symptoms  of  disaffection  are 
said  to  be  prevalent.  It  would  appear  therefore  that  more 
blood,  a  great  deal  more,  must  be  spilled  before  the  pulse  of  the 
people  comes  down  to  a  reasonable  temperature. 

In  the  meantime  my  thoughts  are  occupied  about  Johnston. 
He  will  chafe  dreadfully  under  the  restrictions  of  a  prisoner;  and 
if  his  wounds  are  cured,  as  I  hope  they  will  be,  his  impatience  will 
probably  increase  with  the  return  of  his  strength.  I  hope  it  may 
be  in  your  power  to  alleviate  his  sufferings,  so  far  at  least  as 
sympathy  is  a  remedy.  I  wish  you  had  influence  to  effect  his 
discharge  on  parole  till  exchanged.  There  would  be  no  danger 
that  he  would  ever  incur  the  imputation  of  keeping  his  word 
loosely;  much  less  of  anything  like  a  v'olation  of  what  honor 
requires.  I  suppose  you  can  ascertain  where  he  is,  and  get  leave 
to  write  to  him.  But  I  know  nothing  of  him  except  what  the 
papers  mention  and  am  perfectly  ignorant  of  his  whereabouts. 
While  we  all  thought  him  dead  a  very  handsome  obituary  notice 
of  him  was  published  in  the  Courier,  which  is  said  to  be  from  the 
pen  of  Judge  Magrath. 

James'  letters  give  me  a  great  deal  of  comfort,  as  they  discover 
an  evident  progress  in  his  way  of  thinking  as  well  as  in  his  hand- 
writing. But  I  am  sorry  that  he  has  not  sent  me  any  letter  for 
you  since  that  which  you  acknowledged. 


452  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

I  received  a  letter  last  week  from  Mr.  Guillou  in  Philadelphia 
desiring  me  to  inform  Mad.  Togno  of  her  mother's  death.  How 
it  passed  the  barrier  I  do  not  know,  and  since  the  Southerners 
have  evacuated  Norfolk  I  have  no  idea  where  the  flag  of  truce  is 
to  be  found.  This  is  written  in  the  hope  that  Fraser  and  Com- 
pany will  forward  by  the  next  vessel  that  runs  the  blockade, 
either  to  Nassau  or  to  England;  any  way  it  will  be  a  long  time 
before  you  get  it,  and  God  knows  what  may  turn  up  in  the  mean- 
time. The  check  the  invaders  received  on  Monday  furnishes  but 
little  ground  for  supposing  that  Charleston  will  escape  capture. 
I  have  not  removed  my  books  from  the  office.  Those  saved  from 
the  fire  on  11th  December  are  at  Summerville;  but  I  don't  know 
what  to  do  with  my  law  books  if  I  should  move  them,  and  am 
inclined  to  trust  to  the  forbearance  of  those  that  I  still  consider 
countrymen,  to  spare  them  from  wanton  destruction  without 
moving  them  at  all,  tho'  constantly  importuned  to  do  so.    *    *     * 

Your  Father. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  18th  June,  1862. 
My  dear  Sister: 

It  is  with  a  heavy  heart  I  put  pen  to  paper:  Henry  King  is  no 
more.  He  was  shot  in  the  fight  at  Secessionville  on  Monday  and 
died  yesterday  at  half  past  five.  I  arrived  in  George  Street  in 
time  to  bid  him  farewell;  he  died  nobly.  His  reason  was  clear  to 
the  last.  His  last  words  were  of  his  wife  and  daughter,  whom  he 
commended  particularly  to  Mack  and  me,  and  of  a  pious  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  God.  No  person  could  manifest  a  firmer 
mind  or  a  kinder  nature  from  the  time  of  receiving  his  death 
wound,  of  which  he  was  fully  sensible,  and  in  the  battle  he  con- 
ducted himself  with  all  the  coolness  and  courage  of  a  true  soldier. 
His  funeral  takes  place  at  the  Scotch  Church.  Poor  Mr.  Forrest 
has  been  in  Winnsborough  and  was  summoned  home  by  the 
family  of  Mr.  Greer,  one  of  his  congregation  who  fell  in  the  same 
action.  He  is  the  son  of  the  Bookseller,  and  Mr.  Forrest  was 
very  much  attached  to  him.  The  war  begins  to  make  itself  felt 
very  near  us,  but  I  am  afraid,  a  great  deal  of  blood  must  flow  yet, 
before  the  pulse  of  the  people  is  so  far  subdued  as  to  make  peace 
probable.  I  have  no  further  intelligence  of  Johnston;  I  don't 
believe  a  word  about  this  writing  a  letter  about  his  wanting  to  be 
exchanged.  He  was  not  likely  to  write  to  anyone  at  Richmond 
but  Lewis  Young,  who  would  not  have  failed  to  give  us  the  intelli- 
gence, and  I  don't  think  he  would  let  any  stranger  into  his  con- 
fidence so  far  as  to  tell  him  any  such  thing.  Yet  I  have  no  doubt 
he  ardently  desires  it,  and  I  do  hope  that  he  will  be  first  paroled 
and  then  exchanged,  and  if  his  cousin  Caroline  can  effect  it,  I 
have  no  doubt  he  will  be.     A  friend  of  mine  has  just  said  to  me 


James  Louis  Petigru  453 

that  the  Western  States  will  be  the  people  to  stop  this  war,  and 
I  am  very  much  struck  by  the  idea.  It  they  are  going  to  do  it, 
I  wish  they  would  begin  soon,  for  you  may  depend  on  it,  we  are 
bleeding  at  every  pore.  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  wrote  on 
Friday,  but  my  stupid  clerk,  though  he  knew  I  was  to  be  here 
today,  sent  my  letters  by  mail  this  morning  to  Summerville. 
It  is  a  great  inconvenience  that  your  outward  mail  goes  a  few 
hours  before  the  other  arrives;  today  as  well  as  last  Wednesday 
I  have  been  placed  in  the  same  situation.  Poor  Mrs.  Parker  is 
one  of  the  sufferers  and  must  be  overwhelmed  with  grief;  her  son 
is  among  the  lists  of  those  killed  in  the  battle,  and  among  our 
acquaintances,  there  are  none  whom  I  more  regret  than  John 
Edwards,  who  is  also  among  the  slain.  I  wrote  a  brief  letter  of 
congratulation  to  the  Rev.  W.  J.  P.  and  have  sent  him  John- 
ston's book.  There  have  been  great  rains  and  it  has  not  cleared 
off  yet.  I  am  afraid  your  creek  bottoms  will  drown,  but  it  is 
good  for  the  trees,  and  let  us  be  thankful  as  well  for  small  bless- 
ings, as  for  escape  from  great  evils.  I  embrace  you  all  with  the 
affection  of  a  true  brother  and  uncle  and  grandpapa. 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Charleston,  June  20,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  You  will  observe  something  in  Carey's*  letter  about 
money  to  be  paid.  I  suppose  you  hardly  believe  that  it  requires 
now  two  for  one  to  pay  a  debt  abroad.  The  same  thing  takes 
place  at  home.  I  suppose  you  have  noticed  the  high  price  of 
negroes?  People  are  glad  to  get  off  paper  money  for  anything 
that  has  intrinsic  value,  even  if  worth  very  little.  Father  used 
to  tell  of  times  when  they  gave  $100  for  a  drink  of  grog.  We 
may  see  something  nearly  the  same  before  we  are  done.  I 
hardly  think  the  invaders  will  assault  the  city  this  summer. 
They  have  met  with  a  stubborn  resistance  on  James  Island  and 
are  more  disposed  to  guard  what  they  have  than  to  attempt  new 
conquests.     Adieu. 

J.  L.  P. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  June  28,  1862. 

Behold  us  installed  at  Summerville,  not,  however,  without  a 

smart  quarrel  with  the  agent  of  the  railroad.     A  fool  of  a  clerk 

in  dispatching  our  baggage  and  movables,  which  filled  a  car,  sets 

down  on  the  waybill  that  the  contents  were  for  Mrs.  Petigru  and 


*Mrs.  Caroline  Petigru  Carson. 


454  />//"^,  Letters  and  Speeches 

not  to  be  delivered  till  paid  for.  This  was  Tuesday  morning,  the 
20th,  and  we,  who  followed  at  2  p.  m.  the  same  day  in  the  passen- 
ger train,  would  have  found  an  empty  house,  without  any  com- 
fort at  all,  if  Sandy  out  of  his  small  stock  had  not  advanced  the 
money.  This  came  to  my  knowledge  afterwards  and  my  first 
emotion  was  anger  against  old  Prescott,  the  agent  here,  and, 
unluckily,  when  I  met  him  next  he  came  up  to  tell  me  that  he 
had  been  on  the  point  of  thrashing  Sandy  for  impudence,  because 
he  had  it  from  good  authority  that  Sandy  had  inquired  for  him  by 
the  name  of  "Old  Prescott"!  I  told  him  it  was  lucky  he  had 
gone  no  further,  for  if  he  had  thrashed  Sandy  I  would  have 
certainly  thrashed  him;  a  remark  which  he  did  not  like,  but  had 
to  put  up  with.  But  I  did  not  recollect  at  the  time  the  change 
that  years  had  made  since  I  was  in  the  habit  of  promptly  cor- 
recting the  freedom  of  impertinence. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  455 


CHAPTER  LI  I 

July-September,  1862 

Comments  on  McCleli.an  and  the  War;  Work  on  the  Code; 

"Johnston  a  Genius" 

to  MRS.  JANE   petigru  NORTH 

Charleston,  July  8,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  In  your  letter  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  of  the  trees, 
also  of  the  wheat,  better  news  than  I  expected,  for  people  here 
persist  in  saying  the  wheat  crop  is  ruined  in  the  upcountry.  I 
can  not  but  say  that  it  is  also  pleasant  to  find  that  you  are  get- 
ting more  patriotic  as  the  war  proceeds;  for  it  is  a  great  thing  to 
have  the  wind  fair,  and  to  participate  in  the  public  feeling,  for 
it  insures  sympathy.  It  is  also  a  great  thing  to  have  the  part  of 
rejoicing  instead  of  that  of  mourning  to  sustain.  And  surely 
Southerners  have  reason  to  rejoice  over  the  defeat  of  McClellan. 
W'onderful  does  it  seem  that  McClellan  should  fight  so  hard  only 
to  be  whipped,  and  that  he  should  be  for  days  fighting  to  avoid 
fighting.  Somebody  said  that  O'Connell  had  found  out  the 
great  secret  of  rebellion,  viz:  "Not  to  rebel."  In  like  manner 
McClellan  has  organized  a  new  tactic  upon  the  presumption  that 
the  most  dangerous  way  of  fighting  is  not  to  fight.  It  seems  a 
joke  to  think  of  a  man  that  has  been  hidden  behind  his  entrench- 
ments endeavoring  to  elude  his  adversary  by  a  show  of  fighting 
in  the  open  field. 

The  most  authentic  account  we  have  of  Johnston  is  in  the 
enclosed,  which  will  no  doubt  be  as  agreeable  to  you  as  it  was  to 
us.  There  is  a  complaint,  however,  that  Johnston  is  kept  con- 
fined, while  various  Yankees  are  admitted  to  the  benefit  of  a 
parole.  If  our  Government  is  sufficiently  earnest  I  have  no 
doubt    the   grounds   of  their   complaints   would    be   removed. 


*     *     * 


TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  July  16,  1862. 
*     *     *     There  is  a  great  deal  of  good  sense  in  your  remark 
about  the  increased  respect  which  hard  fighting  will  bring  to  the 
combatants.     Rut  there  is  no  need  of  confining  it  to  the  impres- 
sion that  will  be  made  in  France  and  England;  it  will  be  found  to 


456  -^^/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

hold  good  as  to  the  combatants  themselves.  They  will  begin  to 
feel  a  good  deal  of  respect  for  one  another  after  a  few  such  fights 
as  Fair  Oaks  and  Chickahominy.  Happy  will  it  be  if  the  mixed 
conditions  of  the  battles  should  lead  both  parties  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Heaven  stands  neuter  in  the  contest.  It  does  not, 
surely,  require  such  torrents  of  blood  to  satisfy  any  reasonable 
man  that  nothing  can  be  a  more  impious  presumption  than  for 
either  side  to  think  themselves  entitled  to  count  the  Almighty  as 
an  ally  in  such  pitiful  display  of  human  passion.     *     *     * 

It  is  gratifying  to  see  that  in  the  midst  of  all  his  vexation  and 
suffering  he  [Johnston  Pettigrew]  bore  himself  so  courteously, 
and  with  such  self-possession,  without  growling  or  sulkiness. 
And  it  is  not  less  gratifying  to  receive  such  assurances  confirm- 
ing the  opinion  that  the  danger  from  his  wounds  is  over  *  *  * 
There  has  been  an  explosion  at  Fort  Moultrie,  and  poor  Tom 
Wagner  is  said  to  be  fatally  injured,  not  expected  to  survive 
the  day. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Charleston,  July  23,  1862. 

My  dear  Jane: 

Your  letter  of  17th  was  safely  received  by  Joe.  I  have  seen 
him  today,  and  find  he  has  got  part  of  his  company  and  will 
certainly  get  the  rest  if  Gen.  Pemberton  does  not  change  his 
mind,  a  contingency  not  entirely  to  be  neglected  in  any  calcu- 
lation in  which  he  is  concerned.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  to 
break  ground  on  Friday,  the  1st  day  of  August.  On  that  day, 
therefore,  I  wish  you  would  have  a  conveyance  dispatched  to 
Mackey's  to  meet  me  on  Saturday. 

The  troops,  Federal  and  Confederate,  have  been  and  are  in 
motion  from  the  southward  to  Virginia.  It  is  said  that  10,000 
men  have  sailed  from  Hilton  Head  to  reinforce  McClellan  and 
as  many  from  this  neighborhood  to  strengthen  Gen.  Lee. 
Charleston,  therefore,  is  not  menaced  any  longer  by  the  invaders 
and  bloody  work  is  likely  to  set  in  on  James  River.  The  talk 
of  interference  is  nonsense  at  least  for  the  present.  The  com- 
batants are  in  no  humor  yet  to  abate  one  tittle  of  their  several 
demands  and  of  course  there  is  no  chance  for  any  third  party  to 
intervene  with  the  least  success.  I  am  delighted  at  the  pros- 
pect of  seeing  you  once  more  and  as  the  enemy  has  retired  sister 
no  longer  makes  the  resistance  that  she  did  to  my  furlough. 
Hoping  to  embrace  you  all,  and  that  soon,  I  am,  my  dear  sister, 

as  affectionately  as  ever 

Your  Brother. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  \S1 

TO  MRS.  SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

Badwell,  25  August,  1862. 
My  dear  Sue: 

*  *  *  As  to  Johnston,  he  has  returned  to  camp  with  his 
right  arm  still  helpless  from  the  wound  in  the  shoulder.  One 
would  have  thought  he  had  had  a  taste  of  powder  and  ball  that 
would  have  reconciled  him  to  a  quiet  life,  at  least  till  his  wounds 
were  healed,  but  there  is  no  hopes  for  genius     *     *     * 

Your  Parent. 

About  Johnston  Pettigrew  Mr.  Petigru  once  laughed  and  said: 
"The  fact  is  our  friend  Johnston  is  a  genius,  but  I  fear  he  will 
never  make  an  advocate.  No  one  can  detect  the  legal  points  of 
a  case  quicker  than  he,  but  he  must  have  equity,  justice,  law  and 
morality  all  on  his  side  before  he  will  take  a  case.  He  will  never 
make  an  advocate." 


458  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  LIII 

October-December,  1862. 

Epoch  of  His  Life;  Interpretation  of  History;  Defending 
A  Free  Negro;  Discharge  of  Elkins  Held  Contrary 
TO  Confederate  Act;  Scarcity  of  Salt;  "The  Avenue 
THE  Only  Chance  of  Going  Down  to  Posterity";  Has 
not  Changed  His  Views;  The  Code  Finished;  Message 
Sent  Through  Lieut.  Didier,  H.  L  M.  Ship  Milan 

to  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Summerville,  14  October,  1862. 

This  day,  my  dear  Carey,  marks  an  important  epoch  in  my 
life.  This  day  58  years  ago  I  was  received  into  the  school  at 
Willington,  to  which  I  was  conducted  by  my  poor  Uncle,  Jo, 
where  a  Latin  grammar,  a  substitute  for  the  plow,  was  placed  in 
my  hand.  Of  those  who  then  formed  the  busy  occupants  of 
Dr.  Waddil's  hive,  the  only  survivors  that  I  know  are  Lewis 
Gilmer  and  Alexander  Bowie,  both  in  Alabama.  Time  has 
effected  many  changes;  the  chapter  of  accidents  has  contained 
many  sad  stories,  and  the  last  and  saddest  the  Revolution  now 
in  progress.     *     *     * 

Johnston  has  recovered  so  far  as  to  be  placed  on  duty  at 
Petersburg,  but  chafes  under  the  sense  of  inactivity.  He  will 
not  in  his  letters  mention  himself;  and  so  we  are  all  puzzled  to 
decide  from  his  letters  whether  he  still  writes  with  his  left  hand. 

Your  Father. 

Major  Lowndes'  case*  is  to  come  off  on  Friday,  and  will  I  hope 
have  such  a  result  as  to  relieve  his  mind. 

TO  J.   JOHNSTON    PETTIGREW 

Summerville,  October  21,  1862. 
My  dear  Johnston: 

i  received  gladly  yours  of  the  10th  inst.  What  you  say  about 
James  Carson  has  great  weight  and  will  influence  my  opinion  on 
the  subject  of  the  visit  to  New  York.  But  I  dare  not  wound  his 
mother's  feelings  to  the  extent  of  recommending  him  to  take  up 

*This  was  the  last  case  in  which  Mr.  Petigru  ever  appeared  in  court.  Being 
overheated,  on  leaving  the  courthouse  he  took  a  violent  cold  from  which  he 
never  recovered. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  459 

arms  under  the  Confederate  Flag.  I  was  reading  your  Louinie 
the  other  day  and  his  remarks  about  the  policy  of  different 
Courts  influenced  by  the  passions  or  whim  of  the  monarch  rather 
than  by  the  interests  of  the  country  made  a  strong  impression 
on  me.  We  used  to  think  that  it  was  the  vice  of  kings  to  govern 
with  reference  to  their  (jwn  fancy  and  inchnations,  instead  of  the 
material  happiness  or  true  interests  of  their  people.  But  when 
the  South  has  achieved  its  independence,  as  I  have  no  doubt  it 
will,  how  will  history  treat  secession — as  a  deliverance  from 
thralldom  or  as  an  instance  of  popular  passion  overruling  all 
regard  for  the  permanent  interests  of  the  country?  I  am  glad 
that  you  say  nothing  about  volunteering  for  the  place  of  aide, 
with  the  loss  of  rank.  And  I  am  also  very  glad  that  you  write 
again  with  the  hand  which  mankind  unite  in  considering  the 
right  hand.  I  would  that  in  some  other  things  you  would 
extend  the  vigor  of  the  right  hand.  A  person  of  your  height  of 
mind  ought  to  look  down  with  an  equal  eye  on  the  various  tribes 
of  men  and  their  prejudices.  It  is  very  well  for  the  common 
soldier  to  despise  his  enemy,  for  probably  he  has  no  better  reason 
for  fighting  than  that  he  hates  him.  But  why  should  we  (you 
and  I)  despise  the  Yankees?  Is  it  because  they  are  below  the 
people  that  we  admit  are  fellow-citizens  in  civilization.'' — in 
working  in  wood  or  metals.^ — in  architecture  or  in  navigation.^ — 
in  the  useful  arts  or  in  literature?  Your  father  was  a  Federalist 
and  your  grandfather,  as  well  as  I.  They  were  churchmen,  as 
well  as  I.  Certainly  there  were  ten  Federalists  at  the  North 
to  one  at  the  South,  and,  even  including  New  England,  we  would 
find  more  brethren  in  the  North  than  at  home.  I  take  it  that 
we  are  fighting  the  Yankees,  not  from  personal  animosity,  but 
an  opinion  that  it  is  the  true  interest  of  the  South  to  erect  a 
separate  Government.  At  least  I  am  willing  to  believe  that 
Rhett  and  Yancey,  Mason  and  Wigfall  thought  so.  Whether 
that  opinion  was  the  result  of  sound  reason  or  passion,  historv 
will  judge.  Perhaps  the  regard  which  the  North  profess  for  the 
old  flag  is  a  superstition,  but  it  is  the  same  sort  of  sentiment  which 
has  led  men  to  shed  their  blood  for  a  fallen  dynasty,  and  I  don't 
think  it  is  visited  with  contempt  by  posterity.  I  dare  say  there 
is  plenty  of  brutality  in  the  march  of  the  P'ederals  through  a 
hostile  country.  W'hat  else  could  be  expected  when  there  is  no 
guaranty  that  an  officer  is  a  gentleman?  But,  I  assure  you,  if 
you  were  to  listen  to  the  exploits  of  Black's  regiment  on  the 
Islands,  you  would  find  that  the  Yankees  were  far  from  having  a 
monopoly  of  blackguards. 

I  have  been  laid  up  with  a  bad  cold.  Your  cousin  Jane  is 
delighted  with  your  letter  and  takes  no  share  in  my  sermoning, 
which  is  no  proof  of  any  diminution  in  the  pride  and  affection 
with  which  vou  are  regarded  bv  vour  kinsman, 

J.  L.  P. 


460  -^i/^)  Letters  and  Speeches 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  November  13,  1862. 
My  dear  Sister: 

I  was  in  town  yesterday  and  ought  to  have  written  this  letter 
there;  but  I  was  called  off  to  attend  a  free  negro  who  is  being 
tried  for  his  life;  and  you  know  that  the  Apostle  says  that  the 
greatest  of  these  three  is  charity.  So,  while  giving  myself  to  the 
charity  case  I  let  the  opportunity  of  inditing  a  letter  to  you  slip. 
This  prelude  may  assure  you  that  I  am  better,  for  if  my  cough 

had  been  as  bad  as  it  was  I  would  not  have  ventured  to  move. 

*  *     * 

The  low  country  is  annoyed  beyond  measure  by  steps  necessary 

to  secure  the  negroes  that  are  left,  but  a  fragment  at  best. 

*  *     * 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU  NORTH 

Summerville,  November  22,  1862. 

I  wrote,  my  dear  Jane,  on  Thursday.  I  had  barely  put  the 
letter  in  the  hands  of  the  Summerville  postmaster  when  Elkins 
accosted  me.  It  was  so  unexpected  I  hardly  knew  him.  A  long 
discussion  followed  between  Capt.  Hearst  and  me  on  the  legality 
of  taking  him.  I  relying  on  the  Confederate  Act  of  October, 
1862,  he  on  DeSaussure's  instructions.  I  reflected  on  the  ques- 
tion whether  to  run  the  risk  of  resisting  as  far  as  force,  but  for 
Hearst's  sake  as  well  as  Elkins,  I  concluded  not  to  push  things  to 
that  extremity.  I  went  to  town  yesterday,  but  the  colonel 
(Bacon)  was  not  there,  and  nobody  to  appeal  to  for  the  discharge 
of  Elkins,  who  was  gone  to  Pocataligo.  As  far  as  I  can  under- 
stand DeSaussure's  order,  this  is  a  thing  done  by  the  Governor 
and  council,  and  they  affect  to  be  above  the  Confederate  Act  and 
not  bound  by  it.  But  whether  the  authority  of  the  Confederate 
Act  is  denied,  or  whether  it  is  meant  to  vest  in  the  colonel  of  the 
regiment  exclusively  the  power  of  deciding  whether  any  person 
claiming  exemption  is  entitled  I  do  not  know.  I  will  be  in 
Columbia  on  Monday,  and  will  see  the  official  people,  Pickens, 
Chesnut,  DeSaussure,  and  will  have  Elkins  discharged  or  know 
the  reason  why;  and  will  at  the  same  time  take  in  hand  Rosen- 
wick's  case  as  a  subject  of  the  Grand  Duke  of  Baden,  not  liable 
to  be  impressed  into  a  war  with  which  he  has  nothing  to  do.  At 
the  depot  I  saw  too,  our  cousin  George,  son  of  George,  who  was 
the  son  of  John,  who  was  our  father's  brother.  This  George  has 
the  look  and  bearing  of  an  honest,  independent  yeoman.  He 
was  warmly  clad  in  home-made  clothes,  and  said  he  had  his 
knapsack  full.  That  he  was  very  sorry  to  have  to  leave  his 
farm,  wife  and  nine  children,  and  seventeen  negroes.  I  was 
favorably  impressed  by  him. 

In  Charleston  yesterday  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  get  from  the 


'James  Louis  Petigru  461 

provost  an  assurance  that  he  would  report  favorably  of  poor 
Jacob  Drayton,  a  negro,  who  lost  his  sloop,  captured  by  Lieut. 
Conroy,  and  whom  they  wanted  to  hang,  though  guilty  of 
nothing  but  refusing  to  go  with  the  Yankees  to  Hilton  Head.  I 
have  a  letter  from  Johnston  dated  the  19th  inst.  brought  by 
Louis  Young.  He  had  seen  Charles  in  the  recent  expedition  of 
his  brigade  to  Tarboro.  He  gives  but  a  doleful  account  of  the 
state  of  the  country  about  the  lake  where  the  "Buffaloes"*  are 
committing  many  outrages.  Johnston  had  returned  to  Peters- 
burg, Foster  having  retired.  He  thinks  Lincoln  our  only  ally 
among  the  foreigners,  and  he  aids  the  cause  by  his  proclamation 
and  the  bad  behaviour  of  his  generals.  *  *  *  j  embrace 
you  all  with  the  love  of 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

Summerville,  November  29,  1862. 
My  dear  Jane: 

I  got  your  letter  of  the  13th  last  evening.  T  wrote  yesterday 
in  town,  but  though  nothing  has  transpired  since  in  this  quarter 
to  speak  of,  there  is  something  to  say  as  to  the  contents  of  yours. 
Elkins  is  exempt.  The  Act  of  October  10,  1862,  among  other 
things  contains  the  following  exemption  from  all  military  service 
in  the  armies  of  the  Confederate  States,  viz:  "one  person  as 
agent,  owner  or  overseer  on  each  plantation  of  twenty  negroes 
and  on  which  there  is  no  white  male  adult  not  liable  to  military 
service. " 

This  is  enough,  but  the  act  adds,  "And  furthermore,  for  addi- 
tional police  for  every  twenty  negroes  on  two  or  more  planta- 
tions, within  five  miles  of  each  other,  and  not  having  less  than 
twenty  negroes  in  gross,  on  which  there  is  no  white  male  adult, 
not  liable  to  military  duty,  one  person;  being  the  oldest  of  the 
overseers  or  owners  on  such  plantations." 

You  come  within  the  first  clause,  which  is  much  more  intelli- 
gible and  plain  than  the  other  and  puts  an  end  to  all  doubts.  So 
I  hope  Elkins  will  cease  to  be  disturbed  by  the  jeers  or  gibes  of 
them  who  would  be  glad  to  see  him  marched  off  to  the  camp  of 
instruction.  And  you  may  as  well  give  him  a  copy  of  the  clause 
to  show  those  that  may  be  seriously  or  honestly  in  doubt  about 

1 1-  ♦  ♦  ♦ 

Next  week  I  will  be  in  Columbia  unless  detained  here  by  the 
case  of  a  poor  negro  whom  they  seem  disposed  to  hang  because 
he  refused  to  go  with  the  Yankees  when  they  took  away  his 
rifle  and  was  bv  them  sent  on  shore. 


*The  "BufFaloes"  were  always  a  set  of  lawless  ruffians,  and  during  the  war  they 
opposed  both  the  North  and  the  South,  and  carried  either  flag  as  suited  their 
purpose. 


462  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 

The  car  for  the  accommodation  of  Summerville  leaves  at  a 
quarter  after  seven  in  the  morning.  This  makes  it  necessary  to 
be  up  at  5  and  in  cold  weather  is  very  disagreeable.  It  makes  me 
feel  more  than  ever  the  want  of  my  house. 

It  is  my  purpose  at  present  to  build  in  Summerville  something 
as  cheap  as  I  can,  but  that  will  be  a  summer  accommodation 
only.  I  shall  never  be  able  to  rebuild  on  Broad  Street.  They 
have  pulled  down  all  the  houses  on  the  front  beach  at  the  cove, 
mine  among  them,  and  all  the  books  and  furniture  in  it  have 
entirely  disappeared.  They  appraised  the  houses  before  they 
pulled  them  down,  but  I  have  little  hope  of  ever  getting  anything. 
*     *     *     I  embrace  you  all,  and  am 

Your  Constant  Brother. 

When  he  entered  the  night  train  at  Summerville  on  his  way 
to  Columbia  all  the  sleeping  chairs  in  the  car  were  occupied. 
However,  a  young  man,  Leroy  F.  Youman,*  gave  him  a  seat  and 
the  lawyers  crowded  around  as  usual  to  hear  him  talk.  He  had 
a  violent  cold  and  cough  and  was  evidently  much  indisposed. 
Mr.  Yeadon  began  to  ply  him  with  questions,  to  which,  in  a 
weary  way,  he  would  answer  "I  don't  know,"  or  "I  do  not 
recollect."  Finally  Mr.  Yeadon  said,  "Mr.  Petigru,  don't  you 
remember  on  a  certain  occasion  when  I  spoke  you  congratulated 
me  and  told  me  I  had  made  a  capital  speech?"  He  then  roused 
up  and  said,  "Now  I  distinctly  recollect.  Yeadon,  on  no  occas- 
ion did  I  ever  tell  you  that,  nor  did  I  ever  hear  you  make  a 
capital  speech."  The  audience  laughed  and  Mr.  Yeadon 
retired. 

TO  MRS.  JANE   PETIGRU   NORTH 

Summerville,  December  15,  1862. 

*  *  *  I  have  received  no  less  than  three  letters  from  Caro- 
line. Her  mind  is  greatly  disturbed  and  she  not  only  wishes 
James  to  go  to  her  but  wishes  it  most  strongly  and  urgently. 
But  James  will  not  go.  He  is  certainly  controlled  by  the  public 
sentiment  of  the  State  and  I  will  not  attempt  to  argue  him  out 
of  his  prejudices.  Only  so  far  I  will  go  as  to  enforce,  as  far  as  I 
am  able,  the  precept  that  in  a  civil  war  a  good  man  may  refuse  to 
draw  his  sword. 

I  am  balancing  between  Athens  and  Chapel  Hill  as  a  college 
for  James  in  January.  In  Charleston  or  Columbia  he  would  be 
sure  to  be  snapped  up  as  a  conscript  if  he  did  not  anticipate  his 
doom  by  volunteering.     In  Athens  I  thought  with  pleasure  on 


*He  was  afterwards  Attorney-General. 


James  Louis  Petigru  463 

the  attention  he  would  receive  from  T.  R.  R.  Cobb,  my  friend. 
But  alas!  poor  Cobb  has  fallen  on  the  Rappahannock.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Charleston,  16  December,  1862. 
My  dear  Caroline: 

It  grieves  me  to  witness  your  grief  portrayed  in  those  letters 
which  I  read  with  avidity,  and  deplore  my  inability  to  remove 
the  causes  of  your  unhappiness.  Let  it  be  your  consolation  as  it 
is  mine  that  these  things  have  happened,  by  no  fault  nor  negli- 
gence of  ours.  We  can  not  control  events  and  I  am  fain  to  he 
thankful  that  we  can  control  James  so  far  as  to  prevent  him  from 
running  headlong  into  the  bloody  fray.  He  bends  a  listening 
ear  to  my  precept  that  in  a  civil  war  no  man's  honor  can  be 
reproached  for  refusing  to  draw  his  sword.  I  am  inquiring  at 
Athens,  Georgia,  and  Chapel  Hill,  North  Carolina,  and  will  send 
him  to  one  of  those  colleges,  making  choice  of  that  which  prom- 
ises most  security  against  conscription.  The  South  Carolina 
College  is  converted  into  a  hospital,  and  oifers  no  encouragement 
for  the  education  of  any  but  those  under  18.  Nor  would  the 
Charleston  College  favor  our  purposes,  for  if  there  was  fighting 
for  the  town,  Jim  would  undoubtedly  take  a  hand  wi^h  his 
townsmen.  It  would  be  hard  for  him  to  do  that  which  you  most 
earnestly  desire  and  which  would  give  me  most  pleasure;  but  in 
the  present  condition  of  his  feelings  I  do  not  think  his  presence 
would  be  any  comfort  to  you.     *     *     * 

As  to  your  Mama  she  is  certainly  no  worse,  tho'  she  keeps  her 
bed  2  days  out  of  3.  She  is  a  good  deal  scandalized  by  your 
partiality  for  the  North;  so  different  from  her  feelings  which  are 
thoroughly  Southern.  *  *  *  I  come  to  town  2  or  3  times  a 
week  and  attend  to  such  little  business  as  I  have  to  do.  I  have 
not  moved  my  library  from  the  Alley,  and  am  very  unwilling  to 
do  so.  All  the  danger  would  be,  as  I  verily  believe,  in  the  shells 
that  might  be  thrown  into  the  town;  for  tho'  our  hotheaded 
townsmen  threaten  to  apply  the  torch  themselves  if  they  can 
not  save  the  town,  I  do  not  believe  them.  But  in  truth  I  do  not 
think  the  U.  S.  will  make  an  assault  on  this  place;  at  least  not 
until  they  have  gained  entire  possession  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
secured  a  permanent  foot-hold  in  the  West.  And  I  think  so 
because  it  is  their  evident  policy.  If  any  one  of  the  States  now 
in  sedition  should  give  way,  the  example  would  prove  contagious. 
But  the  defection  is  not  likely  to  begin  here  where  the  men  are  all 
full  of  fight,  particularly  the  parsons;  and  the  women  exceed 
them  in  violence. 

James  Lowndes  and  Jo  Blythe  Allston  are  captains  in  the 
army  at  Pocotaligo.     Jo  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Poco- 


464  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 

taligo,  but  it  was  only  a  flesh  wound,  and  scarcely  laid  him  up. 
None  of  those  who  suffered  were  connected  with  us.  Ben  All- 
ston  is  at  his  father's  on  parole.  His  wound  is  not  spoken  of  as 
dangerous.  He  was  captured  twice  and  wounded  the  last  time 
at  Harrodsburg  in  Kentucky.  He  did  not  come  through 
Charleston  and  I  have  not  seen  him.  Philip  Porcher  is  a 
Lieutenant  on  board  the  Palmetto  State;  Charley  is  with  Hamp- 
ton's legion,  has  been  in  a  dozen  battles  or  more  and  never  had  a 
scratch.  Johnston  was  at  Petersburg  when  I  heard  of  him  last. 
Miles  is  in  Richmond.  As  chairman  of  the  Military  Committee 
he  is  a  person  of  importance.  Peter  Gourdin  is,  as  far  as  I 
know,  snug  on  Back  River.  I  suppose  he  is  excused  from  con- 
scription to  take  care  of  the  negroes,  where  white  men  are  so  few. 
There  is  no  Gen.  Rhett.  Two  of  the  family  have  fallen  in  battle, 
Grimke  Rhett,  son  of  Ben,  and  Robert  Rhett,  son  of  Barnwell; 
they  were  both  Lieutenants.  Burnett  Rhett  was  married  to 
Henrietta  in  October.  Ellen  King  was  married  to  Frank  Camp- 
bell on  the  5  November,  and  her  father  died  on  the  12th.  Our 
sweet  cousin  in  Henderson  is  well;  some  of  her  boys  are  in  camp, 
and  the  rest  at  home.  Amelia  is  strong,  in  will  at  least,  and  in 
affection  too,  and  is  on  her  plantation  near  the  Bridge.  I  saw 
Mattie  last  Saturday.  Her  zeal  boils  over  against  the  Yankees 
in  downright  imprecations.  My  dear  child,  it  would  be  painful 
for  you  to  come  here,  and  serve  no  good  purpose.  Even  Louise 
Porcher,  your  aunt,  is  too  great  a  politician  for  us  to  converse 
on  terms  of  confidence.  Those  who  said  I  had  changed  my  views 
of  secession  are  wonderfully  mistaken.  Every  day  convinces  me 
more  and  more  of  the  soundness  of  the  opinions  which  I  expressed 
at  the  time  and  have  ever  since  avowed.  Of  the  result  it  is  true 
that  my  opinion  has  been  shaken  for  at  the  beginning  I  scarcely 
doubted  that  the  seceding  States  would  make  good  their  inde- 
pendence. Of  that  conclusion  I  am  now  much  more  diffident, 
tho'  I  still  think  it  probable  that  Alabama,  Georgia,  Florida,  the 
Carolinas  and  eastern  Virginia  will  be  ultimately  reorganized  by 
the  U.  S.  as  foreign  and  independent  States.  There  will  be  a 
great  deal  of  blood  shed  before  the  armies  that  are  now  arrayed 
on  the  Rappahannock  separate.  Kings  were  formerly  accused 
with  sporting  with  the  lives  of  their  subjects.  But  experience 
shows  that  Demos  is  as  fond  of  that  sport  as  the  veriest  tyrant 
that  ever  trampled  on  the  rights  of  human  nature.  I  have 
forgot  Mrs.  Jack;  I  saw  her  in  September  at  Greenville,  looking 
well  and  speaking  of  you  with  effusion.  Mr.  Alfred  [Huger]  is 
really  dejected  by  the  loss  of  his  house,  which  was  an  instrument 
of  hospitality  which  he  will  forever  regret.  Nothing  gives  me 
more  content  than  to  be  assured  that  Trescott's  books  are  not 
sold.  My  paper  is  out,  and  I  am  expecting  Mr.  Didier  every 
moment.     Adieu. 

Your  Parent. 


'James  Louis  Petigru  465 

The  code  is  finished  as  far  as  it  can  be  till  the  Legislature  have 
passed  upon  it,  which  will  not  be  till  the  end  of  1863.  In  the 
meantime  my  vocation  is  suspended. 

TO    G.   DIDIER 

Summerville,  28  December,  1862. 
Dear  Sir: 

*  *  *  My  books  are  in  St.  Michael's  Alley.  I  don't  intend 
to  move  them.  Tho'  the  expectation  is  that  Charleston  will  be 
bombarded,  I  doubt  it,  and  if  it  is,  it  does  not  follow  that  St. 
Michael's  Alley  will  be  burned.  I  think  the  chances  are  that  the 
independence  of  the  Southern  States  or  at  least  some  of  them  will 
ultimately  be  recognized  by  a  treaty  of  peace.  This  was  my 
opinion  from  the  first.  I  deplored  it  then,  and  deplore  it  now  as 
much  as  ever.  When  that  peace  will  come  nobody  knows,  not 
even  Jeff  Davis  or  Seward;  but  I  suppose  the  war  will  not  last 
more  than  5  years  more.     *     *     * 


466  Life^  Letters  and  Speeches 


CHAPTER  LIV 

January-March,  1863 

Death  of  Daniel  Petigru;  Helping  the  Unfortunate; 
James  Goes  to  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C;  Advice  to  James; 
More  Concerned  about  Health  than  the  Movements 
OF  General  Hunter;  His  Last  Letter,  Directions  about 
Trees;  Closing  Days;  Letter  of  Alfred  Huger;  Preface 
OF  Bar  Association  and  Correction  of  Memorial 

to  MRS.  CAROLINE  PETIGRU  CARSON 

Charleston,  8  January,  1863. 
Trouble  has  come  upon  us,  my  dear  child,  from  a  quarter  least 
expected.  It  is  true  that  poor  Dan's  health  had  suffered  within 
the  last  year  very  considerably,  but  I  had  no  idea  that  his  con- 
stitution was  broken  down  to  such  an  extent  as  to  threaten  his 
life.  He  had  been  much  with  us  ever  since  I  returned  from  the 
back  country  in  September,  and  his  conversation  and  manners 
were  more  satisfactory  than  they  had  ever  been,  so  much  so  that 
I  really  began  to  entertain  the  hope  that  he  might  yet  be  a  useful 
member  of  society.  He  had  a  room  over  Mr.  Carter's  book 
store  on  Meeting  Street  where  Adam  Milliken  and  some  other 
men  stay,  and  he  was  in  the  habit  of  going  to  town,  to  settle  his 
connexions  with  the  company  he  belonged  to,  and  to  see  Dr. 
Geddings  about  his  throat.  He  left  us  on  Thursday,  the  first 
of  the  year,  and  we  expected  him  on  Saturday,  but  he  wrote  to 
his  mother  that  he  was  going  to  dine  with  Campbell  Evans  a 
brother  soldier,  and  would  not  return  till  Monday.  On  Monday 
I  came  to  town;  when  we  were  at  the  place  where  the  trains  pass 
each  other,  I  observed  Capt.  Corrie  for  the  first  time.  He 
attached  himself  to  me  and  I  inquired  whether  he  had  been  to 
Augusta.  He  said  no  that  he  had  come  up  on  the  train  that  had 
just  passed  to  meet  a  gentleman.  At  the  depot  he  invited  me 
into  a  carriage  that  was  waiting  for  him,  and  after  we  were  quite 
alone  on  our  way,  told  me  that  I  was  the  person  that  he  had 
come  to  meet,  and  while  I  yet  wondered  what  it  could  be  that 
induced  him  to  seek  such  a  meeting,  told  me  Daniel  was  no  more. 
He  had  risen  that  morning  as  usual  and  it  seems  was  preparing  to 
wash,  when  he  fell  on  his  face,  and  expired  without  a  struggle. 
Nobody  was  in  the  room;  the  chambermaid  at  a  later  hour  found 
him  on  the  floor  and  gave  the  alarm.     I  never  saw  a  countenance 


James  Louis  Petigru  467 

more  serene.  The  expression  was  natural  and  gentle;  and  it  was 
a  sad  sight  to  see  that  fair  face  and  beautiful  features  wrapped  as 
it  were  in  a  sweet  sleep.  He  never  appeared  to  look  so  well.  I 
could  not  hut  think  of  the  wonder  I  had  often  felt  of  his  encour- 
agement from  ladies  on  whom  he  made  a  favorable  impression; 
and  I  had  never  been  sensible  of  the  charms  of  his  countenance 
before.  He  was  interred  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  in  the  St. 
Michael's  Church  Yard,  and  a  very  respectable  convoy  attended 
the  funeral.  Now  he  is  gone  my  mind  loves  to  dwell  on  the 
circumstances  that  are  favorable  to  his  memory;  and  there  is 
none  more  honorable  than  this,  that  he  contracted  no  debts.  At 
least  I  know  of  none,  and  his  name  is  unsullied  by  any  dishonesty 
or  baseness.     *     *     * 

Your  Parent. 

At  this  period,  though  sick  and  suffering,  Mr.  Petigru,  with 
difficulty,  earned  about  one  hundred  dollars  a  week  in  Confed- 
erate money,  not  enough  to  support  his  own  household;  yet  he 
could  not  resist  appeals  to  his  compassion,  as  his  endorsement 
on  the  following  letter  from  a  lady  shows: 

Summerville,  S.  C,  January  19,  1863. 
Dear  Mr.  Petigru: 

If  perfectly  convenient  will  you  let  me  have  a  little  money, 
— ^just  what  you  can  spare.  It  really  goes  against  me  to  trouble 
you,  for  you  have  accommodated  me  so  much  already,  but  my 
want  of  common  necessaries  and  comforts,  for  children  now 
sick,  must  plead  my  excuse. 

Yours  with  sincere  regard, 

M. 
Endorsed:  "  19  Jan'y,  1863— Sent  by  Sammy  325.00." 

TO   G.   DIDIER 

Charleston,  22d  Januarv,  1863. 
My  dear  Mr.  Didier: 

*  *  *  It  is  a  grief  to  me  to  confess  that  my  health  suffers, 
from  shortness  of  breathing  and  a  persistent  cough.  But  Dr. 
Geddings  is  at  work  upon  my  complaints  and  seems  to  have 
strong  hopes  of  patching  me  up. 

TO  MRS.   SUSAN   PETIGRU   KING 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  22  January,  1863. 
My  dear  Sue: 

My  cough  is  very  bad  sometimes,  tho'  I  have  long  intervals 
of  relief;  but  till  the  swellings  are  got  under,  I  can  not  consider 
myself  a  well  man,  nor  find  it  prudent  to  undertake  a  journey. 


468  ^i/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

*  *  *  The  furniture  in  Tradd  Street  was  sold  yesterday. 
I  was  not  present,  for  the  bad  weather  kept  me  at  Summerville 
Monday  and  Tuesday,  and  I  have  become  so  cautious,  that  I  do 
not  venture  in  cold  weather  to  take  the  early  car,  and  so,  I  do 
not  get  to  town  till  after  three.  I  am  told  the  things  sold  very 
well,  but  have  heard  no  particulars,  except  that  the  wine  brought 
5  dollars  a  bottle.     Neither  the  books  nor  the  furniture  of  your 

room  were  offered.     I  have  a  great  mind  to  buy  the  house. 

*     *     * 

Your  Papa. 

to  mrs.  caroline  petigru  carson 

Governor  Allston's,  Meeting  Street, 
6  February,  1863. 
My  dear  Carey: 

*  *  *  Your  letter  of  the  15th  ult.  makes  me  sure  that  my 
letters  by  way  of  Nassau  have  been  stopped  or  suppressed,  for 
I  could  hardly  have  believed  that  all  that  I  had  sent  forward 
between  the  4  July  and  14  October  had  miscarried.  I  have 
charged  William  to  take  great  care  of  this  and  he  promises  to 
send  it  by  the  way  of  Halifax  unless  some  safe  opportunity  should 
occur  that  is  more  direct.  I  am  more  anxious  than  ever  about  it 
as  I  intend  to  enclose  James'  first  from  Chapel  Hill.  I  am  much 
gratified  that  he  has  entered  the  Sophomore  class.  It  will  rise 
to  Junior  in  June.  I  am  not  sorry  that  he  is  under  a  condition 
to  make  up  his  deficiency  in  some  studies.  It  will  stimulate  his 
exertions  at  the  start.  In  answering  his  letter  I  give  you  a  list 
of  errata.  If  those  which  I  had  written  had  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing their  destination  you  would  know  already  that  I  had  been 
obliged  to  forego  the  plan  of  sending  him  North;  as  much  by  his 
overstrong  objection  to  compromise  himself  so  deeply  against 
his  countrymen  here  as  by  the  other  difficulties  attending  such  a 
project.  I  hope  by  the  time  the  war  is  ended  his  mind  will  be 
more  open  to  the  arguments  in  favor  of  Union  than  it  is  now. 
But  there  is  no  concealing  from  ourselves  the  consciousness  that 
by  that  time  the  Union  may  be  impossible.  So  much  the  worse 
for  us  all;  but  what  better  can  be  expected  of  our  unbridled 
democracy  with  nothing  but  paper  between  them  and  Revo- 
lution?    *     *     * 

I  have  seen  Rosa  Izard  who  came  from  Baltimore  to  defend 
herself  against  confiscation.  Major  Lowndes  came  out  clear 
owing  much  to  the  manly  evidence  which  Arthur  Huger  gave  in 
his  behalf.  Mrs.  Van  Buren's  case  has  not  come  on.  I  have 
in  one  or  two  of  my  letters  asked  you  to  tell  her  to  send  me  an 
affidavit  that  neither  she  nor  her  husband  have  voluntarily  con- 
tributed money  to  aid  the  North  in  this  war  and  that  her 
husband  has  not  served  the  United  States  in  a  military  capacity 


James  Louis  Petigru  469 

since  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  nor  in  any  capacity  if  such  be 
the  case.  The  last  confiscation  act  passed  30  August,  1861, 
exempts  from  the  penalty  of  Alien  Enemies  among  others,  "All 
married  women  natives  of  any  State  of  this  Confederacy  who 
or  whose  husbands  shall  not  be  shown  to  have  voluntarily  con- 
tributed to  the  cause  of  the  enemy." 

I  have  tried  to  persuade  William  Heyward  to  write  to  the 
old  lady,  and  he  seemed  to  promise  to  do  so.  Our  friend  Mr. 
William  P^lliott  has  paid  the  debt  of  nature.  He  died  on  the 
4th. 

I  have  had  a  cough  all  winter  and  my  health  is  but  poor.  I 
consulted  Geddings  and  followed  his  advice  and  am  in  hopes 
that  he  will  patch  me  up  for  the  present.  As  I  have  no  horse  I 
began  by  taking  the  7  o'clock  train  at  Summerville  and  return- 
ing same  day.  But  I  soon  found  that  would  not  do  and  accepted 
the  offer  of  Sister  Ann's  house,  and  had  just  prepared  to  take 
possession,  when  Mac.  King  tendered  me  the  hospitality  of  bed 
and  board  in  George  Street  which  I  could  not  refuse  as  it  was  so 
warmly  pressed  upon  me.  For  three  weeks  I  made  George 
Street  my  home  for  the  most  of  the  time,  returning  to  Summer- 
ville on  Saturdays,  and  staying  there  till  Tuesday  and  coming 
by  the  two  o'clock  train.  But  last  week  Adele  came  up  to  town, 
and  took  up  her  quarters  in  Meeting  Street,  insisting  that  I 
should  transfer  myself  to  her.  *  *  *  Adele  will  stay  till  the 
assault  is  made  on  the  town  \i  any  is  made,  which  I  do  not 
believe.  Ben  is  a  Colonel  and  has  a  bullet  somewhere  in  his 
loins,  which  does  not  however  much  incommode  him  now. 
*  *  *  I  grieve  to  think  my  dear  that  you  have  to  work  for 
your  living,  but  before  this  war  is  over  many  will  have  to  work 
that  never  did  before. 

Your  loving  Father. 

to  james  petigru  carson 

Summerville,  9  February,  1863. 
My  dear  James: 

*  *  *  I  received  a  letter  from  your  Mama  dated  the  19th 
December.  It  grieved  me  to  feel  how  great  her  disappointment 
will  be  when  she  comes  to  know  the  truth  for  she  was  still  look- 
ing for  you  with  great  anxiety.  She  has  taken  rooms  in  Uni- 
versity place,  hired  a  maid,  and  prosecuted  her  labours  as  an 
artist  for  a  livelihood.  Happy  are  you  and  Willie  to  have  in  a 
mother  such  an  example  ot  independence  and  virtue.  I  have 
written  by  William  Ross  who  in  a  yacht  is  about  to  run  the 
blockade  to  Nassau.  I  enclosed  your  letter  as  the  most  accep- 
table thing  I  could  do,  and  handed  them  to  William  on  the  5th 
inst.  He  was  then  ready  to  sail  and  was  waiting  only  for  a  dark 
night  and  a  high  wind.     Charley  AUston  set  off  tor  Wilmington 


470  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

on  the  3d.  Aunt  Adele  is  in  Meeting  Street,  and  the  Governor 
and  Ben  are  with  her;  but  Ben  is  probably  now  on  the  road  to 
join  Kirby  Smith,  who  is  ordered  to  Texas.  Our  Ironclads  gave 
the  Enemy  a  great  scare  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  but  there  was 
not  so  much  done  as  was  at  first  expected.  There  is  about  as 
much  talk  as  ever  about  an  attack  on  Charleston  or  Savannah, 
with  as  little  certainty.  Your  Grandmama  keeps  her  bed  as  she 
did  when  you  were  with  us.  Aunt  Sue  is  expected,  but  is  still 
at  Badwell — and  you  Dear  James  are  the  subject  of  the  anxious 
hopes  of  us  all,  and  above  all  of 

Your  Grandfather. 

I  would  join  the  Society  to  which  my  friend  belongs.  For  all 
the  South  Carolinians  to  go  one  way  would  imply  a  factious 
temper. 

TO  MRS.  JANE  PETIGRU  NORTH 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  13th  February,  1863. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  I  heard  from  Johnston  last  week,  but  in  a  very- 
brief  way,  giving  no  account  of  his  adventures  nor  of  his  senti- 
ments further  than  his  bitter  resentment  against  the  Yankees. 
Genl.  Beauregard  paid  us  a  visit  last  evening,  sat  a  long  time 
and  talked  like  a  sociable  companion.  They  say  that  Johnston 
is  promoted,  but  I  suppose  he  is  only  in  command  of  a  division 
by  temporary  arrangements.  I  did  not  allude  to  your  inquiries 
about  shipping  cotton,  for  nothing  could  be  more  unavailing. 
Nobody  cares  a  straw  about  freights;  the  owner  of  the  ship  that 
runs  the  blockade,  would  rather  give  you  the  cotton  than  receive 
your  freight.  I  parted  with  Ben  with  emotion  last  Wednesday 
morning.  He  is  the  only  one  of  us  that  looks  on  the  war  like  a 
man  of  sense  and  seems  to  know  the  difference  between  viewing 
it  from  his  standpoint  and  from  another's.     *     *     * 

Your  Brother. 

to  mrs.  jane  petigru  north 

St.  Michael's  Alley,  Thursday,  19th  Feb.,  1863. 
My  dear  Jane: 

*  *  *  Nobody  knows  whether  Hunter  means  to  storm 
Savannah  or  Wilmington  or  come  here,  and  some  people  don't 
think  he  is  going  to  do  anything.  For  me,  I  am  a  doubter  and 
don't  believe  what  I  don't  know.  My  health  gives  me  more 
concern  than  Hunter.  The  swelling  is  very  troublesome,  but 
not  always  equally  distressing.  The  best  symptom  is  the  satis- 
faction of  the  stomach,  which  does  not  reject  food  nor  suffer 
by  the  moderate  use  of  it.     When  Adele  goes  I  shall  return  to 


'James  Louis  Petigru  471 

Mack  King,  whose  good  offices  are  tendered  with  the  same 
warmth  as  ever.  On  Saturday  I  revert  to  Summerville  and  stay 
there  till  Tuesday.  *  *  *  Johnny  Jones  ought  to  have 
known  better  than  to  oppose  a  man  higher  in  (jffice  than  himself. 
Bragg  is  famous  for  shooting  men  and  John's  friend  may  well 
rejoice,  that  his  offence  was  considered  more  venial  than  the 
killing  of  a  chicken,  for  which,  it  is  said,  one  of  Bragg's  men 
suffered  the  death  penalty  on  some  occasion.  But  I  am  glad 
that  Johnny  is  at  home,  and  hope  that  his  native  air  will  be  more 
profitable  to  him  than  Corinth  or  Murfreesborough.  I  left  his 
Bond  with  Gen.  McGowan,  but  who  has  the  custody  of  the 
General's  papers,  I  do  not  know.  It  is  confidently  said  that 
Johnston  is  promoted,  but  I  suppose  that  it  is  no  more  than  a 
rumor,  arising  from  his  being  in  the  temporary  command  of  a 
division,  as  our  nephew  Ben  has  been  of  a  brigade. 

Love  and  benediction. 

Your  Brother. 

In  the  fall  of  1859  Mrs.  North  noticed  with  apprehension  that 
Mr.  Petigru  could  no  longer  do  his  "day's  work"  at  Badwell 
without  great  fatigue.  This  was  more  apparent  to  others  than 
to  himself.  He  was  over  70  years  old  and  sclerosis  of  the  veins 
and  heart  trouble  began  to  develop.  In  the  ensuing  years, 
though  his  mental  faculties  remained  unimpaired,  his  physical 
infirmities  increased,  and  he  was  further  burdened  by  mental 
anxieties — the  breaking  of  the  Union,  the  burning  of  his  house, 
the  grinding  labor  on  the  Code,  the  discomforts  of  his  dwelling  at 
Summerville,  and  the  narrowness  of  things  at  home. 

In  January,  1863,  the  break-up  came.  He  became  a  very  ill 
man,  and  to  inquiries  as  to  his  health  would  cheerfully  answer, 
"I  am  not  sure,  but  our  friend  Giddings  [Dr.  Geddings]  is  vamp- 
ing me  up. "  He  continued  to  go  to  his  office,  where,  on  a  visit 
of  Mr.  Grayson  the  day  before  he  finally  left  it,  he  said  to  him, 
"You  see  I  can  still  work  at  my  trade." 

On  the  21st  of  February  Mr.  Lesesne*  found  him  at  the  office; 
he  was  very  sick  and  very  much  depressed.  He  said,"  I  feel 
under  strong  necessity  of  putting  my  house  in  order,  and  I  must 
come  here  to  do  it."  He  had  appointed  his  daughter,  Caroline, 
and  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew  his  executors,  and  thought  that  it  was 
doubtful  when  either  of  them  would  return.  Such  being  the 
case,  he  requested  Mr.  Lesesne  "to  assume  the  trouble  of  serv- 
ing as  an  executor,"  which  he  agreed  to  do. 

*Extracted  from  notes  of  Mr.  Lesesne. 


472  -^{/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

It  had  been  arranged  that  the  commission  appointed  by  the 
Legislature  to  examine  his  work  on  the  Code  of  the  statute  laws 
of  the  State  should  wait  upon  him  on  the  24th  of  February.  He 
gave  directions  to  prepare  the  office  for  their  reception. 

He  then  laboriously  walked  through  St.  Michael's  Alley  to  the 
Court  House,  and  this  was  his  last  visit  to  the  scenes  of  his 
labor,  day  and  night,  for  over  forty  years.  A  chair  was  obtained 
for  him  from  the  sheriff's  office  while  he  waited  for  the  omnibus 
which  conveyed  him  to  the  train  for  Summerville.  On  Sunday 
the  22d  of  February  he  added  a  codicil  to  his  will  appointing  Mr. 
Lesesne  executor,  and  changed  certain  minor  bequests. 

On  Tuesday,  the  24th,  he  arrived  in  town  at  4  p.  m.,  and  went 
to  the  house  of  Mr.  McMillan  King  at  the  corner  of  George  and 
Meeting  Streets. 

On  Wednesday,  the  25th  of  February,  the  members  of  the 
commission,  by  appointment  for  11a.  m.,  attended  at  Mr.  King's. 
He  was  unequal  to  the  effort  of  appearing,  but  said  he  hoped  to 
do  so  in  the  course  of  the  morning.  Two  hours  after,  being  no 
better,  he  was  persuaded  to  abandon  the  idea  of  seeing  the 
gentlemen.  Thus  was  fulfilled  his  prediction  that  he  would  die 
in  harness,  and  die  hard. 

During  the  last  two  weeks  of  his  illness  the  difficulty  of  breath- 
ing and  intense  suffering  aggravated  by  salivation  made  it  most 
painful  for  him  to  speak,  but  he  surpassed  himself  by  the 
patience  and  fortitude  which  he  displayed.  His  sisters,  joined 
by  the  whole  community,  did  everything  that  human  aid  and 
sympathy  could  do  to  alleviate  and  soothe  him.  On  Sunday 
afternoon,  the  day  before  he  died,  he  was  visited  by  Rev.  James 
H.  Elliott,  assistant  rector  of  St.  Michael's  Church.  Mr. 
McMillan  King,  who  had  attended  him  with  all  the  tenderness 
of  a  devoted  son,  had  given  orders  "positively  "  that  Mr.  Petigru 
should  not  be  disturbed.  When  he  learned  of  this  episode  he  was 
furious,  and  expressed  himself  in  a  special  glossary  of  his  own. 
Mr.  Petigru  called  him  near  and  whispered,  "Don't  disturb 
yourself,  Mac,  it  didn't  trouble  me  much,  and, "  turning  his  thumb 
to  the  room  where  his  sisters  were,  "it  was  a  great  gratification 
to  them." 

He  died  at  3  p.  m.,  March  9th.  A  letter  of  Mrs.  North  to  Mrs. 
Carson  says,  "Sue  on  one  side  and  I  on  the  other,  each  holding 
a  hand — those  dear  hands  that  wrought  so  faithfully  for  every- 


James  Louis  Petigru  473 

body,  *  *  *  vvith  his  beautiful  dark  hair  smoothed,  his 
face,  with  an  expression  of  serene  gravity,  free  from  pain,  looked 
no  older  than  he  did  when  he  was  30  years  old." 

His  funeral  occurred  at  5  p.  m.,  March  10th.  The  whole 
city  was  moved.  The  civil  and  military  authorities,  rich  and 
poor,  white  and  black,  attended.  His  remains  were  deposited 
alongside  his  lamented  son,  Albert,  in  St.  Michael's  Church- 
yard. 

The  following  letter  from  Alfred  Huger  is  an  expressive  and 
vigorous  portrait  of  Mr.  Petigru: 

Longwood,  March  15th,  1863. 
My  dear  Ben: 

Mr.  William  Harleston  very  kindly  promised  to  bring  my 
letters  and  papers  with  him  to  your  house  today;  and  if  he  has 
done  so,  I  would  thank  you  to  send  them  by  the  bearer. 

I  reached  the  only  home  I  have  left  on  Saturday  evening, 
exhausted  in  body  and  depressed  in  spirits.     Petigru's  illness 
and  unmeasured  sufferings  put  what  strength  I  had  in  severe 
requisition,  and  his  death  admonishes  me  of  a  heavy  bereave- 
ment     The  blows  come  in  such  quick  succession  that  there  is 
hardly  "twilight  enough  to  separate  the  darkness  of  one  from 
the  glare  of  another,"  and  nothing  save  the  equal  pressure  of 
sorrow  on  every  side  prevents  me  from  falling.     I  had  implicit 
confidence  in  Petigru,  and  never  knew  any  single  man  who  was 
as  near  being  an  institution  by  himself.     Original  in  all  things — 
f  his  character  was  a  mosaic,  he  furnished  the  particles  from  his 
own  resources,  wearing  such  colors  as  nature  gave  him,  and 
borrowing  none  from  his  fellows  either  for  ornament  or  for  use. 
Conscientious  and  just  in  matters  of  truth,  he  would  cavil  about 
a  hair.     Generous  and  brave,  he  would  give  without  measure, 
and  ask  nothing  in  return.     His  probity  never  was  shaken  by 
adversity,  and  his  gentleness  and  mercy  were  increased  by  his 
prosperity.     Elevated  in  every  sentiment,  he  dealt  lightly  with 
those  who  needed  his  forgiveness;  uncompromising  where  his 
own  rights  were  assailed,  he  was  sure  to  put  those  who  denied 
them  at  utter  defiance;  his  thoughts  emanated  from  his  own 
mind,  his  opinions  became  his  convictions,  and  his  convictions 
a  part  of  his  belief  in  God.     When  he  acted  with  others,  it  was 
because  they  agreed  with  him.     When  he  was  the  leader  of  a 
party,  he  guided  without  ostentation,  and  controlled  without 
exaction.     When  he  was  overpowered  by  numbers,  he  submitted 
to  the  /rttc,  but  never  to  the  victor.     He  could  stand  alone  without 
dismay,  preferring  always  the  gratitude  of  the  weak  and  helpless 
to  the  patronage  ot  the  powerful   and  the  strong.     In  every 
conflict  Petigru  was  himself;  when  his  equals  were  needed,  few 


474  Life,  Letters  and  Speeches 

answered  to  their  names;  and  when  his  superiors  were  called 
for,  yione  were  forthcoming.  He  knew  how  to  strike  the  hardest 
blows,  and  he  knew  how  to  receive  them;  for  he  never  hesitated 
to  strike  when  the  provocation  was  sufficient,  and  he  never 
winced  or  quailed,  no  matter  how  deadly  was  the  returning 
arrow.  If  there  is  any  man  now  living  in  South  Carolina 
capable  of  writing  the  History  of  his  own  Times,  Petigru,  for 
the  highest  aspirations  as  to  duty  or  honor — for  the  boldness  of 
his  thinkings — for  the  brightness  of  his  genius — for  the  grasp  of 
his  intellect — for  the  purity  of  his  friendship — for  the  unselfish- 
ness of  his  nature,  will  be  ranked  with  those  of  whom  the  State 
has  most  reason  to  be  proud.  Preaching  the  doctrine  of  an 
exalted  benevolence,  his  charity  kept  pace  with  his  teachings; 
and,  limited  in  means,  when  denial  was  necessary,  he  began 
always  with  himself.  He  loved  to  help  others,  and  to  be  in 
partnership  with  misfortune;  and,  doing  good  without  restraint, 
he  was  the  living,  moving,  acting  principle  of  those  qualities 
which  carried  to  his  grave  the  profoundest  reverence  of  the  rich, 
and  the  heart-stricken  lamentations  of  the  poor. 

If  this  outpouring  is  tiresome  or  tedious,  I  ask  for  the  for- 
giveness which  was  the  prominent  attribute  of  the  subject. 
None  loved  me  more,  and  none  was  more  beloved. 

Yours  ever, 

Alfred  Huger. 

Mr.  Petigru  commences  his  will  as  follows: 

In  the  name  of  God,  Amen;  for  I  venerate  the  sentiment  that 
in  making  one's  will  his  conscientiousness  should  be  aroused  by 
the  invocation  of  that  holy  name. 

After  making  certain  bequests  he  says  that  the  various  pieces 
of  land  that  he  had  bought  should  be  annexed  to  Badwell,  and 
he  confirms  an  agreement  that  he  had  previously  made  with  his 
sisters. 

After  the  death  of  the  surviving  sister  I  direct  that  the  plan- 
tation *  *  *  be  sold,  but  not  out  of  the  family  *  *  * 
to  such  ones  of  the  descendants  of  our  grandfather,  the  Reverend 
Jean  Louis  Gibert,  as  may  be  willing,  in  a  fair  competition  among 
themselves,  to  give  the  most  money  for  it;  and  it  shall  be  the 
duty  of  my  executors  to  invite  all  the  descendants  of  our  grand- 
father to  attend,  and  all  those  who  are  under  age  shall  be 
represented  by  their  parents  or  friends  who  may  purchase  if  so 
inclined  in  their  name  (the  name  of  the  infants)  and  the  executors 
shall  have  the  same  discretion  as  to  the  details  of  this  sale  as 
heretofore  mentioned.  Nor  shall  either  nor  any  of  my  executors 
be  disqualified  on  that  account  from  bidding  or  purchasing  at 


James  Louis  Petigru  475 

this  or  any  other  sale  made  in  pursuance  of  this  will.  And  I 
appeal  to  the  sentiment  of  filial  piety  to  give  eflPect  to  the  desire, 
that  this  small  domain  which  is  valuable  only  as  connected  with 
our  ancestral  name,  may  continue  in  the  line  of  this  family,  and 
that  even  at  the  cost  of  some  pecuniary  sacrifice  this  intention 
may  be  respected  without  referring  to  any  contrivance  to  defeat 
it.  The  purchase  money  shall  be  distributed  as  follows:  One 
fifth  as  my  dear  sister,  Jane  G.  North,  may  appoint;  and  the 
remainder  between  my  two  daughters  or  their  heirs,  meaning 
the  heirs  of  the  body  then  living. 

On  the  death  of  the  surviving  sister,  Mary  Petigru,  the  plan- 
tation was  sold,  according  to  the  terms  of  the  will,  on  the  7th  of 
November,  1872,  and  was  bought  by  his  niece.  Miss  Louise  G. 
North,  for  six  thousand  dollars.  After  residing  there  for 
several  years  she  sold  it  to  her  sister,  Mrs.  Joseph  Blythe 
Allston,  whose  descendants  now  own  the  place. 

With  pious  sentiment  Joseph  Blythe  Allston  executed  a  paper 
reserving  from  any  future  sale  the  family  cemetery  where  the 
Reverend  Jean  Louis  Gibert  is  buried. 

A  meeting  of  the  Bar  of  Charleston  was  held  on  Wednesday, 
March  25,  1863,  to  pay  the  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of 
Mr.  Petigru. 

Heartfelt  and  beautiful  eulogies  were  pronounced  and  the 
Honorable  R.  Barnwell  Rhett  spoke  of  him  as  follows: 

*  *  *  My  tutor  in  boyhood;  my  friend  in  early  manhood; 
my  better  friend  in  advanced  life,  whom  neither  time  nor  fortune, 
private  duties  nor  troubles,  nor  the  anger  of  public  contests  and 
differences  of  more  than  thirty  years  ever  induced  to  say  to  me 
an  unkind  word  or  to  do  an  unkind  deed.  *  *  *  pjg  gave 
me  this  test  of  his  friendship:  In  the  commercial  convulsions  of 
1837,  I  thought  I  was  ruined  by  the  misfortunes  of  others.  I 
went  to  him  and  told  him  my  troubles.  He  expressed  to  me  his 
warm  sympathy,  and  then  he  said,  "  I  have  no  money;  you  know 
I  can  not  keep  money;  but  my  credit  is  yours  in  any  manner  you 
choose  to  use  it  to  the  last  dollar  of  the  property  I  possess. "  At 
this  time  he  was  in  possession  of  considerable  estate,  the  fruits  of 
many  years  of  labor  and  accumulation.  I  did  not  embrace  his 
generous  offer;  but  it  shows  you  the  man  and  it  shows  you  also, 
in  part,  why  I  am  here  today  to  bear  testimony  to  the  character 
and  worth  of  one  ot  the  bravest  and  truest  of  friends. 

When  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  were  published  in  1866, 
Mr.  Wm.  E.  Martin  wrote  a  preface  in  which  he  assumed  that 


476  -^i/<?)  Letters  and  Speeches 

Mr.  Petigru  had  changed  his  views, — in  other  words,  become  a 
Confederate.  In  1878,  while  living  at  Rome,  Mrs.  Carson,  at 
her  own  expense,  had  these  proceedings  printed  and  bound  in  a 
little  volume  entitled  "Memorial  to  James  L.  Petigru."  When 
she  discovered  the  mistake  of  this  preface,  she,  with  much  labor, 
was  forced  to  write  to  the  various  friends  in  the  North  to  whom 
she  had  directed  copies  to  be  sent,  requesting  that  the  preface  be 
cut  out.  In  her  personal  copy  of  the  volume  the  following  notice 
was  found: 

*  *  *  Had  I  had  a  copy  of  the  pamphlet  by  me  I  would 
not  have  permitted  the  preface  to  be  reprinted,  and  in  that  way 
have,  as  it  were,  given  it  my  endorsement.  One  may  easily 
read  between  the  lines  the  attempt  to  bolster  up  the  writer's  own 
passion  by  false  assumptions.  The  preface,  written  by  General 
Martin  in  1866,  says  what  his  letter  to  the  Bar  Meeting  in  1863 
did  not  dare  to  do.  I  do  not  know  how  it  fell  into  his  hands  to 
prepare  the  Bar  resolutions  for  the  press  in  '66.  At  the  Bar 
Meeting  not  one  of  the  speakers  insinuated  any  such  change  of 
attitude  in  Mr.  Petigru.  It  was  those  loving  words  of  veneration 
that  I  desired  to  preserve.  *  *  *  Time,  which  softens 
animosity  and  the  very  preposterousness  of  the  claim,  made  me 
forget  all  except  the  beautiful  and  sincere  expressions  of  those 
whom  politically  he  had  always  opposed,  and  were,  therefore,  as 
honorable  to  them  as  to  him.  *  *  *  As  it  stands  it  is  rather 
a  libel  on  Mr.  Petigru  than  an  eulogy,  and  I  would  rather  have 
put  my  hand  in  the  fire  than  brought  this  about. 


James  Louis  Petigru  All 


CHAPTER  LV 

The  Epitaph 

Caroline  Petigru  Carson  often  said  that  from  childhood  her 
constant  effort  was  to  gratify  and  to  make  herself  worthy  of  her 
father;  her  devotion  to  him  was  really  a  species  of  idolatry. 
With  similar  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  each  one  was  proud 
of  the  attainments  of  the  other;  a  mutual  confidence  existed 
between  them;  and  for  sympathy  and  happiness,  one  upon  the 
other  ever  depended.  After  the  war,  somewhat  relieved  of 
anxiety  by  being  again  united  with  her  sons,  the  nearest  wish  of 
her  heart  was  to  erect  a  monument  to  her  father,  and  being  a 
very  ill  woman,  she  felt  that  she  could  not  die  leaving  it  undone. 
She  consulted  her  faithful  friend,  Mr.  Detmold,  on  the  subject. 
He  was  ready  to  take  it  up  and  get  subscriptions,  which  he  said 
he  could  easily  do,  so  great  was  the  interest  of  the  moment  in 
Mr.  Petigru.  This  she  refused  to  allow.  She  was  jealous  of 
doing  it  herself,  and  felt  that  her  father  would  like  best  to  be 
honored  by  the  work  of  his  daughter's  hands.  She  painted,  and 
when  too  ill  to  paint,  she  lay  on  her  back  knitting  overshoes 
frequently  for  twelve  hours  a  day,  and  she  said  that  the  thought 
of  the  work  kept  her  alive.  After  two  years'  continuous  effort 
she  accumulated  a  sum  sufficient  for  the  monument. 

For  the  epitaph  she  consulted  Mr.  Bancroft;  he  gave  excellent 
advice — not  to  have  it  in  Latin,  which  she  thought  would  be 
more  scholarly,  and  he  said,  "Write  what  is  in  your  own  heart; 
and  I  shall  put  it  in  shape."  She  sent  to  him  a  rhythmical 
inscription  which  was  not  preserved.  Using  this  as  a  base,  a 
few  days  afterwards,  with  the  accompanying  note,  Mr.  Bancroft 
sent  an  epitaph  beautifully  engrossed. 

20th  March,  1867. 
Dear  Mrs.  Carson: 

I  have  endeavored  an  epitaph.  It  is  not  yet  right:  revise  it; 
criticise  it;  ask  Detmold's  opinion:  and  then  let  me  make  it 
better. 

Yours  ver\  truly, 

Geo.  Bancroft. 


478  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 


Here  lies  all  that  was  mortal  of 

JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born    at  Abbeville,  S.  C.  May    10th,  1789.     He   died  March 

9th,  1863 

Charleston  was  his  home,  the  United  States  his  country. 
Self-poised  in  rectitude  and  undismayed  by  faction,  (he  stood 
as  an  upright  patriot  in  the  presence  of  sedition)  and  could  not 
be  bent  by  the  fierceness  of  Civil  War. 

In  his  life,  he  was  loving  and  beloved,  true  to  duty  and  affec- 
tion, to  charity  and  reason,  high  above  envy,  unselfish  and 
benevolent,  serene  in  affliction,  always  cheerful  and  patient, 
laborious  and  honoring  labor. 

As  a  lawyer,  his  favorite  clients  were  the  poor  and  the  wronged 
and  he  left  not  his  equal  in  acuteness  and  learning. 

This  stone  is  raised  to  his  memory  by  his  daughter. 

George  Bancroft. 


This  did  not  please  on  account  of  the  harsh  tone  of  reproof  of 
secession.  As  Mr.  Petigru  during  life  had  suffered  from  his 
secession  friends  without  recrimination,  it  was  highly  improper 
to  have  him  reproach  them  from  the  grave.  Mrs.  Carson  dis- 
carded the  Civil  War  phrase  and  substituted  "he  was  honored 
for  his  fidelity  by  those  whom  he  withstood." 


James  Louis  Petigru  479 

Here  lies  all  that  was  mortal  of 
JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.   May   10th,   1789.     He  died  March 

9th,  1863 

Charleston  was  his  home,  the  United  States  his  Country. 
SeU-poised  in  rectitude  and  undismayed  by  faction,  a  patriot 
in  the  presence  of  sedition  he  was  honored  for  his  fidelity  by 
those  whom  he  withstood. 

In  his  life  he  was  loving  and  beloved,  true  to  duty,  charity, 
and  reason,  high  above  envy,  genial  and  singleminded,  unselfish, 
serene  in  affliction,  always  cheerful  and  patient,  laborious  and 
honoring  labor. 

As  a  lawyer  he  left  not  his  equal  in  acuteness  and  learning 
and  was  the  chosen  advocate  of  the  poor  and  the  wronged. 

This  stone  is  raised  to  his  memory  by  his  daughter, 

Caroline  Carson. 

With  two  other  minor  changes  Mrs.  Carson  sent  her  mem- 
orandum to  Mr.  Robert  E.  Winthrop  of  Boston,  and  his  valuable 
advice  and  opinions  were  shown  by  the  following  letters.  From 
him  she  adopted  the  words,  Jurist,  Orator,  Patriot, 

Boston,  27  February,  1867. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Carson: 

Your  kind  note  of  the  18th  reached  me  on  my  return  home. 
It  would  have  given  Mrs.  Winthrop  great  pleasure  to  see  you 
during  our  recent  visit  to  New  York,  and  I  need  not  say  how 
gladly  I  should  have  availed  myself  of  any  opportunity  of  meet- 
ing you  either  at  New  York  or  at  Washington.  You  pav  me  a 
great  compliment  in  asking  me  to  aid  you  in  preparing  an 
inscription  for  your  venerated  father's  monument.  I  should 
be  most  proud  to  write  one  worthy  of  adoption.  I  fear,  how- 
ever, that  I  should  neither  satisfy  you  nor  myself. 

My  own  taste  tor  epitaphs  is  to  have  them  short  and  simple — 

James  Louis  Petigru,  The  accomplished  Jurist,  The  brilliant 
Orator,  The  incorruptible  Patriot. 
Born 
Died 


480  ^(/^j  Letters  and  Speeches 

Something  of  this  sort  would  suit  me  better  than  any  long 
circumlocutions  or  descriptions.  I  will  keep  the  matter  in  mind, 
however,  for  a  few  weeks  more,  and  if  anything  occurs  to  me 
which  I  think  you  would  like  better,  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to 
communicate  it  to  you. 

Meantime,  believe  me,  with  Mrs.  Ws  and  my  own  kind 
regards,  Very  sincerely  yours, 

Robert  E.  Winthrop. 

Boston,  16th  May,  1867. 
My  dear  Mrs.  Carson: 

If  Chancellor  Lesesne  is  still  with  you,  be  good  enough  to  tell 
him  that  his  note  has  just  reached  me,  and  that  I  shall  be  most 
glad  to  see  him  in  Massachusetts.  His  friend.  Dr.  Wharton,  is 
one  of  my  own  special  friends  and  is  my  Pastor  during  the  sum- 
mer season.  We  are  at  Brookline  ourselves,  and  shall  rely  on 
your  Cousin's  coming  over  to  see  us  with  Dr.  Wharton.  Amid 
the  crowd  of  engagements  which  have  come  upon  me  of  late,  I 
have  never  acknowledged  your  last  note.  I  will  talk  with  the 
Chancellor  about  the  inscription  on  your  honored  father's  monu- 
ment. I  see  no  objection  to  your  having  engraved  on  the 
tablet,  beneath  the  tribute  to  his  memory,  something  of  this 
sort,  "A  loving  daughter  sadly  separated  from  him,  during  the 
last  years  of  his  life,  pays  this  tribute  to  his  memory." 

I  doubt  a  little  the  lines  from  Samson  Agonistes.  Nothing 
could  be  more  appropriate  to  him  than  the  sentiment.  They 
are  the  lines  which  seem  to  indicate  a  recent  death,  a  fresh  grief 
and  which  lose  their  appropriateness  as  the  years  roll  on.  Nor 
do  they  speak  to  the  common  reader,  as  they  do  to  one  familiar 
with  Milton. 

But  epitaphs  should  be  suited  to  the  capacity  of  the  passer- 
by. If  you  use  the  quotation,  I  would  have  it  on  the  reverse  of 
the  monument.  The  front  inscription,  should  I  think,  be  plain, 
terse,  comprehensive,  giving  the  name  and  dates  in  clear  large 
type  with  a  condensed  summary  of  his  great  qualities.  I  would 
avoid  above  all  things,  whatever  could  be  the  subject  of  question 
and  whatever  should  suggest  controversy. 

My  wife  and  I  are  going  to  Europe  in  June,  not  for  a  very 
long  absence,  however.  Pardon  my  hurried  note  and  my  long 
neglect  of  yours,  and  believe  me 

With  great  respect  and  regard,  very  faithfully, 

Robert  E.  Winthrop. 

Then  a  very  dear  friend,  the  Reverend  Dr.  Orville  Dewey,  the 
great  Unitarian  Divine,  made  the  two  following  attempts. 
They  failed  to  satisfy  as  they  did  not  seem  to  Mrs.  Carson  as 
good  as  her  own  production. 


James  Louis  Petigru  481 

JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.  May  10th,  1789. 
Died  at  Charleston,  March  9th,  1863. 

Future  times  will  not  know  how  large  a  space  he  filled  in  his 

day; 

For  his  life  was  spent  in  action  rather  than  in  writing:  his 

name  lived 
In  eloquent  speech,  in  wit,  in  counsel. 
In  the  respect  of  his  people, 
In  the  love  of  his  family 
But  he  stood  second  to  none  around  him, 
As  Jurist,  Lawyer,  and  Statesman, 
As  a  brilliant  Orator  and  Advocate. 
As  a  fearless  pleader  for  the  wronged  and  poor 
Let  this  stone  commemorate  him  as  a  man; 
His  kindness  and  forbearance, 
His  dignity  and  simplicity; 
His  solid  judgment  and  impassioned  earnestness 
His  original  power  and  untiring  industry 
Insensible  to  flattery, 
Unawed  by  opinion. 
Undismayed  by  disaster, 
Cheerful  to  the  end, 
And  dying  calmly  with  the  Christian's  hope. 

Charleston  was  his  home,  the  Republic  his  Country. 

In  the  Great  Civil  War 

He  stood  for  his  Country,  and  against  his  people 

Yet  honor  to  him  and  to  them 

They  preserved  their  afl^ection  for  him, 

And  heaped  their  eulogies  upon  his  grave 

In  common  with  the  whole  nation 

This  stone  better  suited  to  his  modesty  than  to 
his  fame,  is  erected  by  his  daughter  Caroline  Carson. 


For  the  Pedestal. 

Nothing  is  here  for  tears,  nothing  to  wail. 
Or  knock  the  breast;  no  weakness,  no  contempt, 
Dispraise  or  blame;  nothing  but  well  and  fair, 
And  what  may  quiet  us  in  a  life  so  noble. 

Dr.  Orville  Dewey. 


482  Lije^  Letters  and  Speeches 


JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.  May  10th,  1789. 
Died,  March  9th,  1863. 

Let  this  tablet  commemorate  him; 

As  Jurist,  Lawyer  and  Statesman, 

As  brilliant  Orator  and  Advocate, 

As  Pleader  for  the  wronged  and  the  poor, 

Second  to  none  around  him; 
Let  this  stone  commemorate  also  a  man 
As  a  man,  remarkable  for 
His  kindness  and  forbearance 
His  dignity  and  simplicity, 
His  solid  judgment,  and  impassioned  earnestness, 
His  original  power,  and  untiring  industry; 
Insensible  to  flattery, 
Unawed  by  opinion. 
Undismayed  by  disaster. 
Cheerful  to  the  end, 
And  dying  calmly  with  the  Christian  hope. 

Thus  he  lived  and  died. 

And  tho'  he  took  part  with  his  country 

And  against  his  people,  in  the  Great  Civil  War, 

Yet,  honor  to  him  and  to  them,  they  kept  their  regard 

for  him  to  the  end,  and  heaped  their 

eulogies,  in  common  with  the  whole  country  upon  his  grave. 

Dr.  Orville  Dewey. 


Neither  did  the  effort  of  her  friend,  Mr.  George  L.  Schuyler, 
prove  satisfactory: 


James  Louis  Petigru  483 


JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.  May  10th,  1789. 
Died  at  Charleston,  March  9th,  1863. 

In  his  life,  he  was  genial,  simpleminded  and  unselfish,  cheerful 
and  patient  in  adversity,  true  to  the  claims  of  duty,  loving  much 
and  beloved  by  all. 

As  a  lawyer  distinguished  for  wit,  acuteness,  and  learning — 
(laborious  himself  and  honoring  labor  in  others)  he  was  ever 
the  chosen  advocate  of  the  poor  and  oppressed. 

As  a  patriot  self-poised  in  rectitude  and  undismayed  by 
faction  by  his  firm  support  of  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  even  through  Civil  War.  While  preserving  the  respect 
of  those,  whom  he  withstood,  he  earned  and  received  a  national 
tribute  of  sympathy,  gratitude  and  veneration. 

This  stone  is  raised  to  his  memory  by  his  daughter  Caroline 
Carson. 

George  L.  Schuyler. 


She  next  enlisted  the  help  of  Mr.  Joseph  H.  Dukes,  of  New 
York,  who  had  been  a  favorite  law  student  in  Mr.  Petigru's 
office.  The  inscription  of  Mr.  Dukes  did  not  reach  the  ideal 
plane. 


484  ^(/*^,  Letters  and  Speeches 

Here  rests 

JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU. 

The  profound  Jurist 
The  eloquent  Advocate 
The  enlightened  Philanthropist 
The  fearless  Patriot. 

In  him  were  happily  blended  those 
qualities  which  challenge  the  love  and  admiration 

of  mankind 
Of  a  social  and  genial  temper 
Of  great  physical  moral  and  intellectual 
courage — of  rare  wit  and  delicate  humor 
He  combined  a  power  of  subtle  analysis 
with  a  broad  and  vigorous  understanding 

With  sympathies  of  feminine  tenderness  and  activity  he 
united  an  informed  and  discriminating  sense  of  justice 

In  him  the  oppressed  ever  found 

A  resolute  defender 

The  widow  and  fatherless 

An  unfailing  support 

A  never  failing  friend 

Loving  much 

His  native  State — he  loved  still  more 

The  Union  to  which  he  looked 

As  the  source  of  all  past  and 

future  national  prosperity 

During  the  asperity 

of  the  Great  American  Civil  War  he  retained 

the  respect  and  affection  of  his 

fellow  citizens  from  whom  he 

widely  differed  in  opinion 

Dying  in  their  midst 

Whilst  that  eventful  struggle 

Was  pending  no  one  passed  away 

More  deeply  lamented 

By  his  death 

The  Union  has  lost  one  of  its  ablest 

And  most  devoted  champions 

The  State  of  South  Carolina 

one  of  its  most  cherished  and  gifted  sons. 

Joseph  H.  Dukes. 


James  Louis  Petigru  485 

The  following  inscription  is  that  of  Mrs.  Carson  which  Mr. 
Dukes  with  a  slight  addition,  proposed  should  be  used.  The 
objection  to  this  inscription  was  that  it  seemed  to  her  not  to 
hang  together. 


JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU. 

Born  at  Abbeville,  S.  C.  May  10th,  1789. 
Died  March  9th,  1863. 

Charleston  was  his  home,  the  Republic  his  country, 

In  a  narrow  sphere  he  discharged  his  duties 

The  nation  recognizes  his  patriotism 

His  fellow  citizens  revere  his  memory. 

Of  a  most  original  mind 

Wit  and  learning  sparkled  in  his  discourse 

Charity  ruled  every  word  and  action. 

Unbounded  benevolence 

Unexampled  patience 

Legal  acuteness,  childlike  simplicity 

Reason  always  supreme 

Passionate  in  the  pursuit  of  good 

Honouring  labor 

Of  untiring  industry 

Great  strength  and  courage 

Surpassed  by  moral  power. 

Alike  insensible  to  flattery  and  criticism 

Relying  unhesitatingly  on  his  conscience. 

Unsoured  by  misfortune,  undismayed  by  faction 

LInshaken  in  his  love  for  Humanity. 

Friend  of  the  poor  and  unhappy 
His   presence   ever   brought  joy. 

This  stone  better  suited  to  his  modesty  than 
to  his  fame,  is  erected  by  his  daughter  Caroline  Carson 

Nothing  is  here  for  tears,  nothing  to  wail, 
Or  knock  the  breast;  no  weakness,  no  contempt, 
Dispraise  or  blame;  nothing  but  well  and  fair 
And  what  may  quiet  us  in  a  life  and  death  so  noble. 

Caroline  Carson. 


486  ^ij^i  Letters  and  Speeches 

She  then  consulted  with  her  friend  Mr.  Charles  A.  Dana.  He, 
recognizing  the  difficulties  of  reaching  her  ideal,  suggested  to 
her  that  the  most  capable  person  to  carry  out  her  wishes  was 
that  "wretch  Hurlbut."  She  accordingly  sent  for  him.  It 
was  singular  that  the  name  Hurlbut,  father  and  son,  should  be 
associated  with  the  opening  and  closing  events  of  the  career  of 
Mr.  Petigru. 

Hurlbut  immediately  came  and  laughingly  said,  "So  Dana 
can  not  help  you  and  calls  me  a  wretch.  My  friend  Dana 
suffers  from  a  lack  of  originality." 

He  immediately,  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  threw  him- 
self into  the  work.  In  the  afternoon  he  carried  off  the  papers; 
before  nine  o'clock  the  next  morning  he  sent  the  draft  of  the 
inscription  finally  adopted. 

Hurlbut  did  not  stop  at  this.  He  found  Burr  &  Fisher,  a  re- 
liable firm  of  marble  workers,  of  East  Houston  Street,  who  for 
a  reasonable  sum  contracted  to  do  the  work.  He  selected  a 
piece  of  the  best  Italian  marble;  he  was  also  careful  to  procure 
the  best  letter-cutter  to  be  found;  he  superintended  and  in- 
spected the  work  until  it  was  completed.  The  production  of 
this  epitaph  and  monument  is  probably  the  most  earnest  work 
that  this  effervescent  genius  ever  accomplished. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1891,  referring  to  Mr.  Pope's  eulogy  of 
Mr.  Petigru,  Mrs.  Carson  writes: 

It  is  really  beautiful;  the  best  thing  yet,  but  I  was  awfully  cut 
up  when  he  said  that  Mr.  Petigru  lay  under  a  monument  raised 
by  "strangers'  hands,"  which  when  the  mistake  was  pointed 
out,  he  made  the  scanty  amends  by  the  substitution  of  filial 
love.  I  wrote  him  that  "strangers'  hands"  had  dealt  me  a 
dreadful  blow.  The  inscription  is  a  collaboration  of  Hurlbut 
and  myself  and  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  perfect  of 
epitaphs.  I  consider  the  monument  is  the  most  creditable 
thing  I  have  achieved. 

The  monument  with  the  following  inscription  is  over  the  grave 
of  Mr.  Petigru  in  St,  Michael's  churchyard  in  Charleston: 


James  Louis  Petigru  487 

JAMES  LOUIS  PETIGRU 

Born  at 

Abbeville  May  10th  1789 

Died  at  Charleston  March  9th  1863 

Jurist.     Orator.     Statesman.     Patriot. 

Future  times  will  hardly  know  how  great  a  life 

This  simple  stone  commemorates^ 

The  tradition  of  his  Eloquence,  his 

Wisdom  and  his  Wit  may  fade: 

But  he  lived  for  ends  more  durable  than  fame, 

His  Eloquence  was  the  protection  of  the  poor  and  wronged; 

His  Learning  illuminated  the  principles  of  Law — 

In  the  admiration  of  his  Peers, 

In  the  respect  of  his  People, 

In  the  affection  of  his  Family, 

His  was  the  highest  place; 

The  just  meed 

Of  his  kindness  and  forbearance 

His  dignity  and  simplicity 

His  brilliant  genius  and  his  unwearied  industry 

Unawed  by  Opinion, 

Unseduced  by  Flattery, 

Undismayed  by  Disaster, 

He  confronted  Life  with  antique  Courage 

And  Death  with  Christian  Hope. 


In  the  great  Civil  War 

He  withstood  his  People  for  his  Country 

But  his  People  did  homage  to  the  Man 

Who  held  his  conscience  higher  than  their  praise 

And  his  Country 

Heaped  her  honors  on  the  grave  of  the  Patriot, 

To  whom  living, 

His  own  righteous  self-respect  sufficed 

Alike  for  Motive  and  Reward. 


"Nothing  is  here  for  tears,  nothing  to  wail. 
Or  knock  the  breast;  no  weakness,  no  contempt, 
Dispraise  or  blame;  nothing  but  well  and  fair 
And  what  may  quiet  us  in  a  life  so  noble." 

This  stone  is  erected  by  his  daughter,  Caroline  Carson. 


488  LifCy  Letters  and  Speeches 

In  the  Protestant  cemetery  at  Rome  where  the  sunset  gilds 
the  graceful  cypresses  and,  on  Monte  Testacio,  is  seen  the  cross 
standing  out  against  the  sky  as  an  omen,  there,  surrounded  by 
the  graves  of  many  very  dear  friends,  is  a  simple  stone  thus 
inscribed: 


CAROLINE  CARSON 

Born  at  Charleston 

South  Carolina 

January  4  1820 

Died  at  Rome 

August  15  1892 

Daughter  of 

James  Louis  Petigru 

The  Union  Man 

of 
South  Carolina 

Resurgam 


Finis 


INDEX 


Adams,  General,  284 
Aiken,  Henrietta,  435 
Alfred,  Charles,  123 
Allston,  Aaron  Burr,  47 

Adele,  engagement  of,  443 

Ben,  120,  464 

Charley,  469 

Governor  Joseph,  47,  417 

Joseph  Blvthe,  102,  293,  341,  463 

Mrs.  Joseph  Blvthe,  475 

Joseph  W.,  66,  120 

Governor  R.  F.  VV.,  120,    182,   319, 
373 

Rebecca  Mott,  205 

Robert,  222 
Ames,  Governor,  68 
Ancrum,  Louisa,  216 
Anderson,  Major,  371 
Archer,  Mr.,  321 
Ashburton,  I.ord,  221 
Ashby,  244 

Astor,  John  Jacob,  210 
Atheist  party,  129 
Auckland,  Lord,  342 


Bacot,  Mr.,  163 

Bailey,  .'\ttornev-General,  62,  70 

Baker,  Rev.  Mr.,  85,  300 

Baldwin,  167 

Ball,  Elias  Nonus,  433 

Bancroft,  George,  epitaph  by,  477 

Bank  of  Charleston,  letter  to,  217 

Bank,  South  Western  Railroad,  212 

Barns,  55 

Barnwell,  Joseph  W.,  49 

Mary,  84 

Robert  Woodman,  106 
Baron,  Alexander,  266 
Barquet,  Barbara,  241,  242 
Bay,  Judge,  182 
Bee,  Bernard,  274 

Thomas,  268 
Beechy,  Sir  William,  178 
Beauregard,  General,  376,  379 
Bellinger,  319 
Belot,  Mme.,  12 
Benjamin,  Judah  P.,  388 
Berrien,  Judge,  257,  261,  262 
Besselleu,  P.  I.,  50,51 
Bienaime,  Elizabeth,  11 


Binsse,  Madame,  206 
Birtwhistle,  Sally,  59 
Black,  Senator  Jo.,  284 
Blacklock,  John  K,  208 
Blanding,  William,  138,  257 
Blatchford,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  433 
Blount,  Mary  Pettigrew,  291,  417,  447 
Blue  Ridge  Railroad,  defense  of  Peti- 

gru  in  suits  against,  340 
BIyth,  Jo.,  446 
Bonaparte,  Jerome,  244 
Boone,  Governor  Thomas,  8 

Bishop  of  China,  194 
Bouchillon,  Joseph,  11,  12 
Boutiton,  Isabeau  [Jeanne],  9,  10 

Jeanne  (Isabeau),  9,  10 

Rev.  Pierre,  7,  9,  377 
Bowie,  -Alexander,  29,  458 

George,  35 
Bowman,  Mr.,  49 

Captain,  243 

Mary,  44 
Boyce,  Ker,  82 
Bragg,  General,  471 
Brailsford,  Samuel,  266 
Branford,  Merton,  266 
Breckenridge,  Mr.,  356 
Brevoort,  Henry,  210 
Brisbane,  Robert,  96,  266 
Britt,  Mr.,  188,  190 
Broad,  George,  case  of  illegitimate 

children,  349 
Brown,  A.  H.,  91 
Bryan,  Mr.,  282 
Buchanan,    President,    comment    on 

message,  363,  367 
Buell,  General,  442 
"Buffaloes,"  461 
Bunch,  Robert,  British  Consul,  341, 

386 
Bull,  William,  8,  47 
Buneil,  158 
Burr,  Theodosia,  47 
Burrows,  Williams,  266 
Burt,  Mr.,  169,  274,  277 
Butler,  Captain,  46 

Colonel,  257 

George,  309 

Mrs.  John,  410 

Judge,  277,  300 
Bythewood,  Captain,  91 

(489) 


490 


Index 


Cabell,  Miss,  251,252 
Mrs.,  246 

WilliamH.,  246,  251,252 
Calder,  Mrs.,  48,  49 
Caldwell,  Mr.,  250,  251 

Mrs.,  247 
Calhoun,  John  A.,  316 
John  C,  2,  53,  79,  80,  107,  187,  191 
193,  216,  222,  239,  243,  265,  274, 
294 
Mrs.  Martha,  274 
Patrick,  2 
California  gold  speculation,  275 
Calvary  Church  riot,  280 
Campbell,  Dr.,  72,  435 

Frank,  marriage  to  Ellen  King,  464 
Carr,  Mr.,  187 

Carson,  Caroline  (Petigru),  28,  42,  67 
68,  207,  243,  247,  248,  249,  250 
251,  275,  276,  277,  283,  284,  297, 
382,471,477,485,488 
Letters  to,  28,  386,  387,  390,  392, 
415,  418,  423,  424,  426,  429,  430, 
432,  434,  437,  442,  458,  463,  466, 
468 
James,  208,  209,  458 
James   Petigru,   42,  245,  248,  249, 

250,251,360 
Letters  to,  412,  469 
Laura,  210 

Governor  William   Augustus,   mar- 
riage of,  to  Caroline  Petigru,  207 
William  A.,  antecedents  of,  208 
William,  son  of  William  A.,  letters 
to,  370,  380,  420 
Carson  plantation,  description  of,  211 
Casey,  Pholoclea,  202 
Cass,  Lewis,  campaign  for  presidency, 

265,  275 
Charleston  Library  Society,  first  cen- 
tennial, 266 
Chesnut,  James,  167,  287 
Chevalier,  Mr.,  156 
Cheves,    Langdon,    "Occasional    Re- 
views," 96 
Chisholm,  John,  253 

Miss,  41,42 
Choctaw  country,  visit  to,  192 
Choiseul,  Count  de,  447 
City  Gazette,  78 
Clark,  James,  State  vs.,  70 
Clay,  Henry,  245,  246,  252,  293,  363 

Ball  in  honor  of,  238 
Clayton,  J.  S.,  105 
Clinch,  General,  259,  261 
Coat-of-arms,  Petigru,  179 
Cobb,  T.  R.  R.,  338,  463 
Cochran,  George,  1 

Mary,  wife  of  James  Pettigrew  III, 
1 


Code  of  South  Carolina,  358,  424 
Coffin,  Tom,  433 
Cogsdell,  437 
Cohen,  Philip,  117 
Collier,  Cornelius,  26,  33 

Edward,  33 

James,  33 

Wyatt,  33 
Collier,  187,275 
Colquit,  Judge,  262 
Commander,  Colonel,  298 
Compromise  of  1850,  280 
Conner,  253,  319 

Constitution  of  the  U.  S.,  foreseen  de- 
fect in,  371 
Cooper,  John,  266 

Thomas,  86,  174 
Corbin,  modification  of  code  by,  359 
Corrie,  Capt.,  466 
Coster,  254 

Court  of  Appeals,  bill  to  abolish,  179 
Covin,  colonist,  12 
Crawford,  Governor,  262 

Secretary,  276 

Mrs.,  255 
Crenshaw,  Judge  Anderson,  306 
Croom,  Hardy  Bryan,  321 
Cross,  Colonel,  death  of,  186 
Crottet,  M.  A.,  letters  to,  376,  381 
Cruger,  Lieutenant  Colonel,  4 

Henry,  140 

Lewis,  154 

Miss,  206 
Cunningham,  Ann  Pamela,  361,  401 

Colonel  John,  208,  265,  315,  319, 
320 

Colonel  Richard,  81 
Cuthbert,  George  B.,  300 
Cutting,  Brockholst,  379 
Cuyler,  Mr.,  296 

Daddy  Lunnon,  353 
Daddy  Tom,  epitaph  on,  352 
Dana,  Charles  A.,  epitaph  by,  486 
Dangerfield,  John  R.,  349 
Daniel  vs.  Meekin,  case  of,  131 
Datie,  Mile.,  58,  210 
Davis,  George,  300,  306 

Jefl^erson,  368,  376,  387,  416,  440, 
465 

Nathan,  228 
Dawson,  262 
Day,  F.,  261 

Mrs.,  261 
Dela  Howe  School,  423 
Dent,  James  T.,  47 
DeSaussure,Dr.,300,301 

Judge  Henry  A.,  102,  182,  193,  278 

John, 446 
Detmold,  Mr.,  433 


James  Louis  Petigru 


491 


De  Treville  resolution,  forbidding  en- 
trance of  free  negroes  into  South 
Carolina,  240 

Deveaux,  J.  P.,  letter  to,  348 

Dewey,  Rev.  Dr.  Orville,  epitaph  by, 
481 

Dewitt,  Charles,  308 

Dickson,  Dr.,  163,  437 

Didier,  G.,  letters  to,  465,  467 

Disunionists  in  the  Legislature,  286 

Dorn,  Mr.,313 

Douglass,  356 

Douxsaint,  Paul,  266 

Drayton,  William,  62,  67,  78,  79,  159, 
206 
William,  letters  to,   130,  140,   153, 
157,164 

Dred  Scott  decision,  356 

Dukes,  Joseph  H.,  100,  348,  484 

Dunkin,  Benjamin  Faneuil,  64,  79, 
141,368,444 

Dunnovant,  General,  283,  374 

DuPont,  309 
Mrs.,  244 

Dursee,  158 

Earle,  113 

Edwards,  John,  death  of,  453 
Elliott,  Charles,  215 

Ernie,  444 

Harriette,  317 

Rev.  James  H.,  472 

Ralph,  444 

Stephen,  268 

T.O.,  138 

William,  84 

Senator  William,  84,  469 

Letters    to,  83,  85,  89,  90,  96,   97, 
98,  105,  122,  206,  300,  301,  317, 
351,444 
Elmore,  F'ranklin,  138, 259,  280 
"Enforcement  Act,"  nullification  of, 

116 
Engevine,  Pierre,  14,  15,  18 
England,  Bishop,  funeral  of,  214,  215 
Epitaph  on  Petigru,  487 
Estill,  96 

Eulogies  of  Mr.  Petigru,  475 
Evans,  Campbell,  466 

Thomas,  113,  281 
Everett,  Edward,  325,  326 

Letters  to,  325,  355,  359,  366 

Letter  to  Petigru,  337 

Faulkner,  Mr.,  367 

Felix,  servant,  24 

Fillmore,  President,  281,  282,  288 

Appointment  of  Petigru,  282-283 
Finley,  Jeanne  Gibert,  18 

Louis,  16 


P.,  137 

Thomas,  14,  15,  16,35 
Fire  Eaters,  79 
Fire  in  Charleston,  197,  418 
Firearms  law,  360 
"Force  Bill,"  passage  of,  116 
Forrest,  Mr.,  452 
Forsyth,  Mr.,  176 
Fort   Moultrie,  oration   at,  June   28, 

1844,  228 
Fort  Sumter,  anticipated  attack  on, 

367,  371 
^  Fall  of,  378 
F'ranklin,  Benjamin,  1 
Free  Trade  States'  Rights  Party,  lead- 
ers of,  79 
Frierson,  James,  208 

Jane,  208 
Fripp,  John,  99 
Frost,  Dr.,  72 

Judge,  339 
Fuller,  Rev.  Richard,  83,  215,  414 

Gabriel,  12 

Gadsden,  General,  257 

Gaillard,  Henry,  2 

Gantt,  Tom,  104 

Gibbes,  Loais  Ladson,  26,  61,  70 

Sarah,  61,  72 
Gibert,  Albert,  8 

Clement,  12 

Ehe,  12 

Elizabeth,  12 

Etienne,  5,  6,  12,  13 

Harriet,  12 

Rev.  Jean  Louis,  1,  5-13,  26,  377 

Jeanne,  14,  15,  16 

Dr.  John  Joseph,  9,  14,  17,  28,  23, 
351 

Joseph  Bienaim^,  12 

Louise,  9,  14,  15 

Lucie,  12 

Marie,  12 

Pierre,  5 

Susane,  12 
Gilchrist,  138 
Gill,  309 

Gillison,  William,  257 
Gilman,  Dr.  Samuel,  325 
Gilmer,  Lewis,  29,  458 

Governor  George  R.,  199,  246 

Mrs.,  244 
Giyou,  -Acelie,  204 
Gonzales,  Colonel  A.  E.,  317 

General,  444 

William  E.,  84,  317 
Gould,  Mr.,  409 
Gourdin,  Mr.,  241 

Lewis,  450 

Peter,  464 


492 


Index 


Graham,  Hon.  VV.  A.,  288,  290 
Grayson,  Colonel,  293 

Letters  to,  25 
Gregg,  309 
Green,  Duff,  121 
Greer,  Mr.,  452 
Grimk^,  Thomas  S.,  62,  87,  162 

Mrs.,  60 
Grindlay,  James,  266 
Guerard,  Mr.,  296 
Guilfoyle,  23,  25,  243 
Guillebeaux,  colonist,  12 
Guillou,  452 
Guy,  Louise,  5 
Gwinne,  Major,  366 

Habersham,  Mrs.,  210 
Hackiey,  C.  W.,  178 
Hales,  Sir  Edward,  137 
Hamilton,  Alexander,  67 

Captain,  258,  284 

Elizabeth  Lynch,  88 

Family,  242 

General,  death  of,  221 

Hannah,  note  on,  88 

General  James,  62,  63,  67,  75,  78, 
80,  102,  115,  192,  193,  218,  241, 
263,  284 
Hamlet,  negro  preacher,  276 
Hammond,  Mr.,  222,  286 
Hampton,  Colonel,  death  of,  325 

Frank,  49 

Kate,  228 
Hapholdt,  gunmaker,  65 
Harleston,  widow  of  John,  62 
Harper,  Judge  William,   29,   77,   241, 

259,  309 
Harris,  Mr.,  254 
Harvey,  servant,  26 
Haskell,  Miss,  213 

C.  T.,  213 
Haughton,  Colonel,  68 
Hayne,  Arthur,  166 

Colonel,  sequestration  act  argument, 
409 

Death  of,  205 

Robert  Y.,  46,  62,  63,  68,  79,  205, 
409 

Proclamation  by,  107,  111 
Haynes,  Mrs.,  253 
Henry,  James  Edward,  110 
Herbemont,  Mrs.,  210 
Herschell,  Mrs.,  261 
Hetward,  William  C,  446 
Heyward,  Mrs.,  40 

William   ("Tiger   Bill"),  300,  301, 
435,  468 
Higham,  T.,  221 
Hoar,  Sherman,  240 
Holbrook,  Mrs.,  413,  424 


Holmes,  General,  434 

Isaac,  127,  213 

Rutledge,  117 

Theopolus,  178 
Homes,  Mr.,  282 
Howe,  Jean  de  la,  343 
Howland,  253 

Huger,  Alfred,  77,  105,  123,  155,  163, 
409,  464 

Letter  to  Petigru,  400 

Letters  to,  292,  341,  356 

Tribute  to  Petigru,  473 

Arthur,  468 

Ben,  123 

Daniel  Elliott,  40,  52,  59,  79,  219, 
224, 248, 376 

John,  death  of,  242 
Huguenin,  Captain,  46 
Huguenots,  inquiry  concerning,  377 
Hunt,  Benjamin  Faneuil,  63,  79,  173 

Case  of  McCrady  vs.,  131 
Hurlbut,  George,  38 

M.  L.,  38 

Gen.  Stephen  Augustus,  38,  214 
Emissary  of  Lincoln,  374 

William  Henry,  arrest  of,  388,  389 
Efforts  in  behalf  of,  392 
Epitaph  by,  486 
Release  on  parole,  394 
Huston,  Mr.,  59 
Hutchinson,  Mr.,  248 
Hutson,  William,  54 
Hutson,  300,  301 

Ingraham,  George,  368 

Mr.  and  Mrs.,  250 
Irving, Jack, 112 
Izard,  J.  Allen  (Smith),  178,  434 
Izard,  Rosa,  468 

Jack,  Gullah,  63 
Jackson,  Captain  John,  59 

Jinsey,  59 
Jake,  servant,  26 

Johnson,  Governor   David,  110,  257, 
295 

Dick,  175 

Judge,  156,  158,  164 

Reverdy,  letter  to,  April  16,  1861, 
379 
Johnston,  Joseph  E.,  Second  Lieuten- 
ant, 111 

Senator,  337 
Jones,  Mrs.  Lewis,  428 

Senator  James,  315 
Joyner,  Mr.,  85 

Keitt,315 
Kendall,  Amos,  296 
Kenon,  Judge,  254, 255 


James  Louis  Petigru 


493 


Kershaw,  208 
Kimhardt,  Mr.,282 
King,  Adcle,  245,  240,  251,  252,  256, 
258,259,261 
Alexander  C,  298 
Caroline,  278 
F.ilen,464 
HenryC.,62,  226,  259,  278,283,412, 

415,452 
J.  Gadsden,  298 
Louise,  278 

McMillan,  469,  471,  472 
Mitchell,  226 

Susan  Petigru,  letters  to,  213,  215, 
222,  226,  244,  245,  246,  248,  250, 
252,  254,  257,  259,  260,  273,  274, 
277,  279,  283,  297,  313,  317,  318, 
321,  323,  339,  346,  361,  372,  389, 
392,  394,  435,  443,  445,  450,  457, 
467 
Kinioch,  Martha,  201,  243 
Kohne,  Mr.,  296 
Mrs.,  240,  296,  298 

La  Bruce,  Miss,  182 

Ladson,  James  H.,  61 

Lamon,   Ward,  emissary   of  Lincoln, 

374 
Lancaster,  170 
Laurens,  K.  R.,  82 
Law,  Judge,  321 
Lee,  Judge,  168 

General,  178,413,416,430 
Legare,  Hugh  S.,  79 

Elected    to   Legislature,   Attorney- 
General,  81 

Mentioned,  10,  29,  77,  190,  216,  226 

Letters  to,  53,  102,  111,  116,  120, 
123,  127,  137,  154,  158,  162,  166, 
167,  173,  180,  181,  183,  184,  193, 
197,199,200 
Leigh,  Benjamin  Watkins,  115 
Le  Roy,  colonist,  12 
LeSeigneur,  Dr.,  258 
Lesesne,  Henry  D.,  68,  215,  279,  283, 
285,  409  ' 

Marriage  to  Harriette  Petigru,  182 

Executor  of  will  of  Petigru,  471 

Torn,  182 
Liberia,  transportation  of  negroes  to, 

350 
Lincoln,  General,  3 

President,  356,  363,  370,  415 
Logan,  William,  266 
Longstreet,  Judge  \.  B.,  29,  65 
Lowden,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  248 
Lowndes,  James,  68,  446,  463 

William",  401 

Rawlins,  401,468 
Lull,  E.  P.,  288 


Lyell,  Sir  Charles,  211 
Lynch,  Thos.,  Jr.,  62 
Lyons,  Mr.,  394 

Magrath,  Judge  Andrew  Gordon,  82, 
401,451 

Edward,  319 
Manigauit,  Captain,  258 
Manning,  Governor  John  L.,  300,  379, 
418 

Richard  L,  110 
Marcus,  servant,  26 
Marshall,  Chief  Justice,  160 

Eulogy  on,  172 
Martin,  113 

Ben, 285 

Captain,  120 

Edmund,  166 

General,  351 

William  D.,  52-53,  77 

William  E.,  476 
Manning,  Governor,  418 
Mason  and  Slidell,  393,  414,  426 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  Pet- 
igru honorary  member  of,  369 
Massey,  Mr.,  248 
Mathewson,  Fanny,  339 
Maurv,  Lieutenant  Matthew  Fontaine, 

316 
Maxcy,  Jonathan,  305 
Maxey,  Rev.  Jonathan,  33 
Mavrant,  William,  168 
Mc.Alister,  Mr.,  257 
McCauley,  Alexander,  266 
McClellan,  General,  defeat  of,  455 
McCord,  David,  165,  168 
McCradv,  Edward,  281,  410 
McCrady  vs.  B.  F.  Hunt,  131 
McDuffie,  George,   29,   79,   187,   193, 
243 

Marv,  244,  245,  247 
McFarland,  Allen,  321 
McGowan,  General,  471 
McKie,  Patrick,  266 
McLain,  W.,  letter  to,  350 
McLean,  Jack,  190 
Meigs,  Dr.,  296 

Memminger,  C.  G.,  79,  285,  313 
Memphis  &  Charleston  Railroad,  323 
Mercer,  General,  246 
"Merrimack"  and  "Erickson"  437 
Middleton,  .-Arthur,  242 

Henrv,  79,  87,  110 

Jack,  416 

John  Izard,  Jr.,  411 

Thomas,  266 
Miles,  68 

Richardson,  Sequestration  Act  argu- 
ment, 409 

William  Porcher,  379 


494 


Index 


Military  Bill,  130 
Miller,  309 
Milliken,  Adam,  466 
Mills,  Clarke,  243 
Missouri  Compromise,  280 
Mitchell,  Boone,  41,  62 

Nelson,  341,409,  437 

O.  M.,  178 
Mixon,  J.  B.,  printer,  266 
Monument  of  Petigru,  486 
Moragne,  colonist,  12 
Morris,  Mr.,  73 
Morse,  Samuel  F.  B.,  296 
Morton,  Mr.,  356 
Mosely,  Mr.,  260 
Moses,  Colonel,  446 
Mount  Vernon  Association,  client  of 

Petit^ru,  361,401 
Murphy,  138,  309 

Myers,  Colonel,  Collector  at  Savan- 
nah, 226 

Negroes,  free,  180 
Nelson,  Amarinthia,  208 

Samuel  E.,  208 
Nesbit,  Sir  Alexander,  210 
Neu,  case  of  Daniel,  56 
Neufville,  Mr.,  41 
Mrs.,  216,  247 
John,  Jr.,  266 
Nevle,  Elizabeth,  209 
Philip,  209 
Samson,  209 
Noble,  Mr.,  187 

North,  Dr.,  51,  60,  72,  76,  225,  244 
Mrs.  Edward,  60 
Henry,  164 
James,  364,  365,  370 
Jane  Petigru,  20,  21,  195,  245,  274 
Letters  to,21, 22, 24,25,26, 72, 75, 
87,  180,  183,  185,  186,  187,  188, 
189,  190,  192,  193,  194,  195,  196, 
199,  202,  203,  205,  216,  218,  221, 
224,  225,  226,  238,  239,  241,  242, 
243,251,256,259,261,263,264, 
265,  275,  276,  277,  284,  287,  288, 
290,  291,  292,  293,  295,  298,  299, 
313,314,315,  323,  325,  337,338, 
345,  350,  357,  360,  361,  362,  363, 
365,  366,  367,  368,  369,  370,  373, 
374,  378,  382,  390,  393,  409,  410, 
411,413,414,415,421,422,  426, 
431,  433,  434,  437,  438,  439,  440, 
441,  449,  450,  452,  453,  455,  456, 
460,461,462,470 
John  Gough,  75 
Death  of,  182 
Letter  to,  179 

Louise  G.,  purchase  of  plantation, 
by, 475 


Mary,  277 
Susy,  438 
Nott,  174 

Nullifiers,  clash  with  Union  party,  101 
Attack  on  quarters  of  Union  Party, 

162 
Compromise  with,  167 
and    Whigs,    pacification    between, 
157 

Oelrich,  Mrs.,  416 
Ogelby,  British  Consul,  242 
O'Neale,  Judge  J.  B.,  81,  82,  158,  188, 

317 
Orr,  315 
"Ossawichee  Co.,"  192,218 

Palmer,  Dr.  Benjamin  Morgan,  239 
Hiram,  56 

Rev.  John  Morgan,  38 
Paris,    Colonel    Richard,   Tory   com- 
mander, 4 
Park,  Mr.,  174 
Parker,  Mr.,  426 
Pelot,  Charles,  275 

Tom,  365 
Pemberton,  General,  444 
Pepper,  Mrs.,  202 
Perant,  200 

Perkins,  George,  captain  of  the  Friend- 
ship, 7 
Perry,  B.  F.,  285 
Petigru,  spelling  of  the  name,  35 
Coat-of-arms,  179 
Adele,  75 

Albert  Porcher,  60,  72 
Jane  Caroline,  schooling  of,  60,  206 

{See  Carson.) 
Charles,  74,  178,  247,  431 
Daniel  Elliott  Huger,  60,  236,  248, 

258,259,281 
Harriette,  75,  182,292 
Jack, 74 
James  Louis,  genealogy,  birth   and 

early  years,  1-16,  18 
Candidate  of  Union  States'  Rights 

Party  for  Senator,  79 
Resigns  as  Attorney-General,  81 
Candidate  for  State  Senator,  81 
Elected    to   House   of   Representa- 
tives, 82 
Death  of  father,  188 
Silver  goblet  presented  to,  214 
Speech  in  honor  of  Preston,  237 
Oration   before  Charleston  Library 

Society,  266 
Speech  for  General  Taylor,  274,  275 
Checks  Calvary  Church  riot,  280 
Speech  at  meeting  for  Christianiz- 
ing the  negroes,  281 


James  Louis  Petigru 


495 


U.  S.  District  Attorney,  280,  281 

Letter  to  Fillmore,  282 

Call  on  Fillmore,  288 

Speech  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  W. , 

291 
Speech  at  50th  anniversary  of  South 

Carolina  College,  299 
South    Carolina    College    semi-cen- 
tennial oration,  302-312 
President  of  S.  C.  Historical  Society, 

318 
Oration  at  Erskine  College,  318 
Prevents  a  duel,  298,  319 
Croom-Sappington  will  case,  321 
Oration  at  3d  anniversary  of  S.  C. 

Historical  Society,  326 
Death  of,  472,  473 
Will  of,  474 

James  Louis,  Jr.,  death  of,  295 
Jane  Amelia  (Postell),  75 
Letter  to,  249 
Jane   Caroline,   marriage    to   J.    G. 

North,    75    {See  North.) 
Louise,  75 

Marriage  to  Philip  Johnston  Por- 
cher,  182 
Louise  (Gibert),  mother  of  James 

Louis  Petigru,  death  of,  74 
Margaret,  letter  to,  178 
Mary,  death  of.  475 
Mary  Anne,  letter  to,  322 
Mathew,  177 
Susan  DuPont,  60-61,  68,  204 

Marriage  to  Henry  C.  King,  226 
Capt.  Thomas,  74,  241,  242,  277, 

314,  316,  322 

Letters  to,  191,  222,  239,253,257, 
258 
William,  letter  to,  October  23,  1835, 

176 
Pettigrew,  family  genealogy,  1-4 
Charles,  2 
Ebenezer,  2 
James,  III,  1,3 
James  Johnston,  22,   67,   276,   277, 

286,  300,  313,  317,  319,  383,  449, 

456,457 

Statement   in  defense  of  Petigru, 
383 

Executor  of  Petigru's  will,  471 

Letters  to,  376,  384,  436,  458 
Joseph  .Samuel,  343 
Marv,  417 
Robert,  177 
Thomas  Joseph,  177 
William,  2,  4,  15,  17,  18 
Rev.  William,  450 
Phillips,  168 
Pickens,  Colonel,  surrender  to  Colonel 

Paris,  3-4 


Governor,  191,  367,  368,  379,  394, 
448,449 
Pierce,  Franklin,  175,  292 
Pinckney,  Charles,  80 

Charles  Cotesworth,  80 

Frances,  80,  205 

Henry  Laurens,  79,  80,  181 

Maria  H.,  118,413 

Thomas,  208 
Poinsett,  Joel  R.,  78,  79,  137,  159,  188 

Letter  to,  Dec.  15,  1830,  82 

Mrs.,  191 
Polk,  James  K.,  259,  261,  277 
Pope,  Hon.  Joseph  D.,  49,  65 
Porcher,  Charley,  417 

FA    318 

Dr.  Francis  Y.,  60,  72,  320,  363 

Mrs.  Harriet,  263,  275 

Louise  (Petigru),  77,  424,  464 

Paul,  59 

Peter,  59 

Philip,  letter  to,  288 

Philip  Johnston,  77,  182,  464 
Postell,  Col.  James,  58,  59 

Jane  Amelia,  58,  210 
Letter  to,  42 

John, 226 
Postelle,  Clifford,  marriage  to  J.  Gads- 
den King,  298 

William  Ross,  388 
Prendergrass,  158 
Prentiss,  Miss,  64 
Preston,  William  C,  79,  166,  236,  241 

President  of  South  Carolina  College, 
283,285 
Price,  Eli  K.,  296 
Pringle,  Mrs.  Bull,  244 

James  Reid,  52,  60,  77,  79,  80,  159 
Prioleau,  Charles  Kuhn,  88,  220 

Charles  K.,  letter  to  Petigru,  220 

Judge  Samuel,  88 

Ramsey,  30 

Captain,  178 

Dr.,  72 
Randolph,  John,  210,  293 
Raoul,  Miss,  187 
Ravenel,  Dr.  Edmund,  222 

J.  Prioleau,  296 

William,  296 
Ravina,  Sitjnor,  216 
Read,  J.  Harleston,  Jr.,  298 

J.  Harleston,  299 
Ready,  Richard,  25 
Rearden,  Captain,  70 
Reid,  202 
Revival  party,  129 
Rhett,  .A.  Burnet,  435 

Barnwell,  191,  213,  286,  318 

Grimkd,  464 


496 


Index 


James,  213 

R.  B.,  Jr.,  383 

Robert,  464 
Richardson,  Governor  John  Peter,  156, 
168 

Letter  to  Mr.  Petigru,  208 

James  E.,  208,  222 
Robertson,  Alexander,  208 

Mary,  413 

Susan,  206 

William,  37,  46 
Robinson,  158 
Ross,  William,  277,  469 
Russell,  John,  302 

William  H.,  379 
Rutledge,  Miss  E.  L.,  letter  to,  424 

Major,  192 

Miss  Sallie,  letter  to,  January  20, 
1862,  430 

Sacheverel,  Thomas,  266 
Salvadore,  2 
Sampson,  248 
Sanford,  254 
Sappington,  321 
Sass,  417,  435 

Savannah  Valley  Railroad,  316 
Schmidt,  Dr.,  123 

Schuyler,  George  L..,  letter  to  Caroline 
Petigru  Carson,  426,  427 
Epitaph  by,  483 
Scott,   Winfield,    46,    110,    160,   288, 

292,  386,  387,  390 
Screven,  Richard,  178 

Whitmarsh     Benjamin,     Governor, 
1848,  240,  275 
Seabrook,  Henry,  411,  415,  416 
Secession  Ordnance,  364 
Secessionists,  288 
Secessionville,  fight  at,  452 
Selfridge,  T.  O.,  288 
Seminole  War,  181 

Sequestration  Act,  argument  of  Peti- 
gru,  395-409 
Seward,  W.  H.,  426,  465 
Shannon, 243 

Sherman,  General  William  T.,  416, 419 
Letter  to  William  Carson,  420 
Letter  to  Mrs.  William  Carson,  420 
Simons,  62,  339 
Simonton,  Charles  H.,  348 
Revision  of  code  by,  359 
Sims,  William  Gilmore,  78 
Sinclair,  John,  266 
Singleton,  249,  292 
Mr.  and  Mrs.,  245 
Mrs.  Matt.,  244 
Sitgreaves,  258 
Skinner,  Mrs.,  251 


Slavery  question,  280-283 

Views  of  Petigru,  347 
Smallev  case,  350 
Smith,' Albert,  179 

Barnwell  Rhett,  84,  104,  181 

Benjamin,  202,  273 

"Grassy,"  49 

James,  88,  138 

General  Kirby,  441,  470 

Mrs.  Middleton,  239 

Oliver,  221 

Thomas  Rhett,  84 
Snowden,  Charles,  208 

Prof.  Yates,  102 
South  Carolina  College,  283 

Historical  Society,  318,  326 

Railroad  Bridge  case,  346 
South  Western  Railroad  Bank,  212 
Southern  Confederacy,  122,  368,  372 
Spratt,  315 

Stapleton,  Colonel,  181 
Starke,  Thomas,  187 
States'  Rights  doctrine,  78 
Stecker,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  7 
Stevens,  Charles,  308 
Stevenson,  Andrew,  245 

Mr.,  247,  249 

Charles,  266 
Stewart,  servant,  245 
St.  Mary's  College,  Maryland,  197 
Stoney,  John,  189 

Samuel  G.,  189 
Story,  Judge,  250 
St.  Pierre,  Louis  Dumesnil  de,  343 
Street,  Henry  and  George,  253 
Stewart,  John  A.,  119,224 
Submissionists,  79 
Sweet,  Rev.  Dr.,  37 

Taber,  W.  R.,  Jr.,  319 
Tait,  General,  48-49 
Tallmadge,  216 
Talvan,  Madame,  58 
Taney,  164 
Taylor,  Josiah,  221 

Thomas,  110 

Zachary,  265,  274,  288 

Democratic  clubs,  265 
Test  Oath,  130,  140 
Texan  Boundary  Bill,  284 
Texas,  disunion  sentiment  in,  193 
Thomas,  12 

Mrs.  210,  261 
Thompson,  Waddv,  138 
Thornwell,  Dr.,  300 
Timothy,  242 

Mrs.,  241 

Peter,  266 
Tinsley,  Mr.,  261 


'James  Louis  Petigru 


497 


Titus,  servant,  26 
Tognio,  Madame,  41.^ 
longo,  Dr.  John,  204 
Toombs,  Roliert,  339 
Toiiloon,  Charles,  19 
Trapier,  James,  I7S 

Paul,  226,  249 
Treggiano,  Princess,  421 
Treville,  351 
Trewit,  Squire,  56 
Trezevant,  John  Farquhar,  46,  50 

Margaret,  202 

Peter,  50,  178,  202,  224,  260,  262, 
263 
Tucker,  Starling,  110 
Tupper,  Miss,  370 

Mr.,  313 
Turner,  Mr.,  247 
Tyler,  Captain  John,  245 

President,  206 

Union  and  States'  Rights  convention, 

91-96,107-110 
Union  and  States'  Rights  Party,  78 
Unionists,  79 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  160,  175 

Mrs.  .Abraham,  401,  446,  468 
Vanderhorst,  .Arnoldus,  443 
N'erdier,  James  R.,  99 
lohn  Mark,  46 
_  Mrs.,  .348 
V'esey,  Denmark,  63 

VVaddell,  Dr.  Moses,  II,    28,   32,    59, 

458 
Ward,  Sam,  379 
Wardlaw,  Judge,  196,  274,  275,  287, 

313,318 
Mrs.,  195 
Ware,  Nathaniel  Alcock,  307 


Waring,  Dr.,  309 
Washington  Society,  142 
Watts,  B.  T.,  247  ' 
Wayne,  Judge,  159,  165,  171 
Webb,  gardener,  69 

Miss,  348 

Susan,  73 
Webster,  Daniel,   221,  281,  288,  292, 

293,  337 
Welton,'Maior,  20,  337 
Whaley,  William,  282,  416 

Secjuestration  Act  argument,  409 
Whig  Convention,  292 

Party,  157,201,281 
White,  Blake,  87 

E.  B.,  67,  72 
Whitner,  J udye,  291,292 
Wickham,  Mrs.,  246,  247 
Will  of  Petigru,  474 
Williams,  George,  426 

Thomas,  138,  168,  173 
Willington,  422 
Wilson,  Lide,  173 
Wingate,  426 
Winthrop,  R.  C,  369,  479 
Wirt,  356 

Withers,  Judge,  444 
Witherspoon,  426 
Woodruff,  410 
Wragg,  Josepli,  Jr.,  266 

Samuel,  266 
Wyatr,  Klizabeth,  2>i 

Yancey,  356 

Yates,  Elizabeth  A.,  63 

J.  D.,  63 

Jerrv,  138 
Yeadon,  Richard,  79,   100,  325,  326, 

462 
Youman,  Leroy  F.,  462 
Young,  Henry  E.,  411,  416 


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